My confession....I was once Hillary or Bust...

[helmedon1974]

23. Respectfully disagree

While I respect your opinion about Hillary, I feel the need to point out a few things that are never mentioned regarding the "vote for war" everyone talks about.
1 - I twas not a "vote for war", it was a Congressional Resolution to use military force against Iraq, and most of Congress voted for it. I fail to see how Hillary is constantly singled out and demonized for it.
2 - This Resolution didn't "authorize" Bush to "go to war" with Iraq, although that is how they used it. The vote for the Resolution authorized use of force but Section 3(b) of the War Powers Act (which is the guiding law for waging war) "requires" the use of sanctions and diplomacy "first". The next year we were at war, with Bush ignoring legal requirements and not allowing UN inspectors to complete their search for WMDs. Probably because he knew the had none. This is similar to the Iran situation, which Hillary was instrumental in realizing. We first used diplomacy and tough sanctions, then we reached a deal. This is what was intended with that vote.
3 - Most Americans, mainly Republicans but apparently also Liberals who believe FOX news propaganda, believe Hillary "voted for the war". This is simply UNTRUE. She voted for a Resolution that was also supposed to "restrain" the President's ability to wage war through several prerequisites. Her 2002 Senate floor speech says as much. In the first few sentences "Today we are asked whether to give the President of the United States authority to use force in Iraq should diplomatic efforts fail to dismantle Saddam Hussein's chemical and biological weapons and his nuclear program." She voiced her hesitations as well, "If we were to attack Iraq now, alone or with few allies, it would set a precedent that could come back to haunt us. In recent days, Russia has talked of an invasion of Georgia to attack Chechen rebels. India has mentioned the possibility of a pre-emptive strike on Pakistan." She literally told Bush it wasn't a good idea to attack, "So Mr. President, for all its appeal, a unilateral attack, while it cannot be ruled out, on the present facts is not a good option." This is what she voted for "I believe the best course is to go to the UN for a strong resolution that scraps the 1998 restrictions on inspections and calls for complete, unlimited inspections with cooperation expected and demanded from Iraq - Even though the resolution before the Senate is not as strong as I would like in requiring the diplomatic route first and placing highest priority on a simple, clear requirement for unlimited inspections, I will take the President at his word that he will try hard to pass a UN resolution and will seek to avoid war, if at all possible." Most importantly her final words, "So it is with conviction that I support this resolution as being in the best interests of our nation. A vote for it is not a vote to rush to war; it is a vote that puts awesome responsibility in the hands of our President and we say to him - use these powers wisely and as a last resort. And it is a vote that says clearly to Saddam Hussein - this is your last chance - disarm or be disarmed.
4 - Her deep regret for the vote only makes it more certain that she will be even more careful in deciding such things in the future, especially as President. She is uniquely qualified to make these decisions and has learned from the past. She doesn't so much regret her vote though, as she regrets what Bush did with the power it gave him. There are several reasons Americans and allies alike want to see Bush and Cheney tried for war crimes, Hillary's vote isn't one of them. It's infinitely unfair of you to cast blame for your pain on this ONE woman, and a bit naive to think she doesn't share some of that pain for her role in it. It's quite disheartening to think that an American has such a blind, negative and unrealistic opinion of one of our strongest leaders. 25+ years of negative spin from the right has skewed all perspective on this woman. Just remember.....Hillary didn't send us to war, Bush did. Hillary wanted diplomatic solutions with war as a last resort. That's how it should be if we're going to take an active role in the world's welfare.