Barrack Obama in October of 2002

[underpants]

"I know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military is a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history.

"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars."

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007221&docId=l:566597895&start=31

He knew it. We knew it. Anyone who spent any time looking into it knew it. All the excuses and apologies are useless. There was no reason not to know it and no reason to not act accordingly.

[Olney Blue]

1. K and R. "I'm opposed to dumb wars."

[idealistMO]

2. Obama has my undivided support

So many of the other very top, undisputed leading Democratic contenders, continue to say.."We were duped! We were fooled! We were lied to, and we fell for the lies!!!!!"

I don't want the Democratic candidate to be easily tricked into believing something so far fetched and stupid as the claim that Iraq was a threat or that Iraq ever had WMDs.

Obama is My Man. I love that guy! He doesn't have to re-write history in order to convince the public that he is against the Iraq War.

[underpants]

3. Welcome to DU

:hi:

Yes the excuses wear very thin when juxtaposed to what Obama and millions of people here and around the world were screaming at the top of their lungs.

If *I* knew there was no reason for the representatives not to know.

[MoJoWorkin]

7. Welcome, fellow Missourian.

I have been saying that I do not want anyone who was "duped" for those very reasons.
That is why Dean was my man last time. The "powers that be" saw to it that he was squashed, and I am afraid that those same "powers" will do-in anyone who has the honesty to speak the truth.
Feingold dropped out, I am afraid, due to the knowledge he would not be given a chance for his unwaivering homage to the truth about Iraq.
Anyone who was "duped" need NOT apply to be my candidate. Especially those who STILL will not apologize for their support and/or vote.

[panader0]

4. Damn That says it all very clearly. K&R

[babylonsister]

5. So Obama didn't trust this admin or Powell; I wonder what he knew

that we didn't? I admit to being hoodwinked by Powell for awhile.
That said, I love what he said; I just wish more people had heard it.

[Exultant Democracy]

11. That is because of the MSM.

At DU we knew there was no yellow cake, we knew that there were no weapons and we knew that Bin Laden and Saddam hated each other.

Most people got hoodwinked, but a lot of us also knew.

[nuxvomica]

6. I used to find Obama annoying till I started reading his speeches

I disliked him the way that illiterate bumpkin in ancient Athens disliked Aristides the Just because while he didn't know anything about Aristides he was tired of hearing him called "the Just". But having read what he said about the war and about the "ownership society" I'm convinced that among today's politicians he's one of the very few who "gets it."

[GOPBasher]

8. That would make one powerful commercial, wouldn't it? n/t

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

9. I am glad more people are seeing this about Obama!

If I were not already so wedded to Gore's candidacy, Obama would be my choice...:-)

[bonito]

10. K&R for truth

:kick:

[Schema Thing]

12. Clark, then Obama

If you don't think vision and foresight, and for godsake, being right, are the most important qualities for the leader of the western world... maybe you're a republican.

[bvar22]

13. These Democrats weren't "fooled" either!

The "but bush* lied to us", or "everyone believed Saddam was a threat" excuses are completely BOGUS!!!


The Democratic Party Honor Roll
These Democrats should be remembered for their principled stand against the WAR Machine.

IWR

United States Senate

In the Senate, the 21 Democrats, one Republican and one Independent who courageously voted their consciences in 2002 against the War in Iraq were:

Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii)
Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico)
Barbara Boxer (D-California)
Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota)
Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey)
Mark Dayton (D-Minnesota)
Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin)
Bob Graham (D-Florida)
Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
Jim Jeffords (I-Vermont)
Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts)
Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont)
Carl Levin (D-Michigan)
Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland)
Patty Murray (D-Washington)
Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island)
Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland)
Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan)
The late Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota)
Ron Wyden (D-Oregon)

Lincoln Chaffee (R-Rhode Island)


United States House of Representatives

Six House Republicans and one independent joined 126 Democratic members of the House of Represenatives:

Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)
Tom Allen (D-Maine)
Joe Baca (D-California)
Brian Baird (D-Washington DC)
John Baldacci (D-Maine, now governor of Maine)
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin)
Xavier Becerra (D-California)
Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon)
David Bonior (D-Michigan, retired from office)
Robert Brady (D-Pennsylvania)
Corinne Brown (D-Florida)
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
Lois Capps (D-California)
Michael Capuano (D-Massachusetts)
Benjamin Cardin (D-Maryland)
Julia Carson (D-Indiana)
William Clay, Jr. (D-Missouri)
Eva Clayton (D-North Carolina, retired from office)
James Clyburn (D-South Carolina)
Gary Condit (D-California, retired from office)
John Conyers, Jr. (D-Michigan)
Jerry Costello (D-Illinois)
William Coyne (D-Pennsylvania, retired from office)
Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland)
Susan Davis (D-California)
Danny Davis (D-Illinois)
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon)
Diana DeGette (D-Colorado)
Bill Delahunt (D-Massachusetts)
Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut)
John Dingell (D-Michigan)
Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Mike Doyle (D-Pennsylvania)
Anna Eshoo (D-California)
Lane Evans (D-Illinois)
Sam Farr (D-California)
Chaka Fattah (D-Pennsylvania)
Bob Filner (D-California)
Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts)
Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas)
Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois)
Alice Hastings (D-Florida)
Earl Hilliard (D-Alabama, retired from office)
Maurice Hinchey (D-New York)
Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas)
Rush Holt (D-New Jersey)
Mike Honda (D-California)
Darlene Hooley (D-Oregon)
Inslee
Jackson (Il.)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Johnson, E.B.
Jones (OH)
Kaptur
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kleczka
Kucinich
LaFalce
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lofgren
Maloney (CT)
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McKinney
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Millender-McDonald
Miller
Mollohan
Moran (Va)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pastor
Payne
Pelosi
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sawyer
Schakowsky
Scott
Serrano
Slaughter
Snyder
Solis
Stark
Strickland
Stupak
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Towns
Udall (NM)
Udall (CO)
Velazquez
Visclosky
Waters
Watson
Watt
Woolsey
Wu


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[ProSense]

14. So why did all but a handful of them vote against a deadline for withdrawal in June?

Obama voted against it too.

[AtomicKitten]

18. Cleaning up the mess others helped create by their 'yes' vote

is a much more difficult endeavor than the cowardly 'yes' vote cast with one's political arse in mind.

Obama is a genuine leader. He stepped up and spoke truth to power when it mattered.

Gobama.

[ProSense]

20. There you go again calling out Hillary for her vote! n/t

[AtomicKitten]

21. Spread the Love!!!

Baucus, Bayh, Biden, Breaux, Cantwell, Carnahan, Carper, Cleland, Clinton, Daschle, Dodd, Dorgan, Edwards, Feinstein, Harkin, Hollings, Johnson, Kohl, Landrieu, Lieberman, Lincoln, Miller, Nelson, Nelson, Reid, Rockefeller, Schumer, and Torricelli and .... hmmmmmmmmmm, who's that other fellow?, wait, don't tell me, oh yeah, Kerry.

Spread the love.

[underpants]

15. Great list

Thanks

[mtnsnake]

16. Awesome, plain and simple truth. No spin, he just told it like it was.

If anyone is looking for the anti-Iraq War candidate, then look no further to the only one of the current heavyweights who has been consistently against this dumb war from the beginning of it....Barack Obama.

[AtomicKitten]

17. Obama showed leadership when it mattered.

It was the tough call to make when the nation was being lockstep rallied to war. I don't trust those that voted 'yes' on the IWR now trying to pretend that that vote didn't put us in Iraq in the first place and that we are, in fact, trying to clean up the mess they are partially responsible for. I trust people like Obama who knew the right thing to do when it mattered. He is a leader.

Gobama.

[Eurobabe]

19. pssst, Undies, it's Barack -- one R dude!

I know you were excited. It's okay! :hug: But we hate it when they spell Clarke with an E too. :hi:

[goclark]

22. Thank you Obama

:applause:

[zulchzulu]

23. Yes, indeed

While I understood Kerry's judgement on the IWR, I certainly find it a lot easier to agree with Obama's assessment. Yes, he didn't have the same "intelligence" that people in the Senate had, but he knew better than to agree on those who co-sponsored the IWR and those who were (in my judgement) more hawkish than not on the matter.

[Flabbergasted]

24. Uh this link gives a great speech on why we should not vote for Edwards

Link Please?

[Clarkie1]

25. Obama needs to hammer Edwards and Hillary with this.

Those two characters have no business anywhere near the oval office with the kind of judgement they have exhibited in the past!

[Auntie Bush]

26. He could have been reading the minds of most DUers.(Maybe he was reading DU)

We knew it, Clark knew it, Dennis & Russ knew it...how come THEY didn't know it? In MHO...they knew it too and were scared they'd be called unpatriotic and weak on defense if they didn't vote for the IWR. In other words...they made a POLITICAL decision. Just before the vote they were all attacking John Kerry for his stance on the Vietnam war and calling a war hero a coward. That burns me up! However, for that reason I tend to give them a little slack. They were scared shit-less not to vote against it if they ever wanted to be considered presidential material! The administration is truly evil for "forcing" that vote knowing exactly what they were doing. It was a total setup! I won't hate the Dems that voted...I understand why, but I have MUCH more respect and confidence for those who didn't vote for the IWR. They are the true patriots with excellent morals and decision making ability. They didn't vote for what was best for their careers ...but voted what was best for our country. They are the true heroes! :patriot:

[Clarkie1]

27. I call of every Hillary or Edwards supporter to respond in this thread!

Defend you candidate if you can! (you can't)

Clark/Obama 08'! or Clark/Richardson :-)