Quotes on the war...

I have a set of quotes for you...

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."

"You can support the troops but not the president."

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home."

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"


You all know I agree with most of these with respect to the Iraq war. And you know that the administration and its apologists are more than willing to call anyone making such statements "unpatriotic" or "treasonous" or "America hating".

But, here's the twist: These quotes are in response to President Clinton sending troops to Bosnia, and they are from people like Tom Delay, Sean Hannity, Rick Santorum and President Bush himself (then Governor Bush, of course). The whole list comes courtesy of a fellow blogger.

Playing the quotes again, with their attribution:

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." -- Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)

Really... Perhaps this is the same Governor Bush who stated on the campaign trail that he did not believe America should be involved in so-called "nation building". It certainly can't be the same President Bush who has for years now failed to have anything like an exit strategy for Iraq.

"You can support the troops but not the president." -- Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

I guess that's just Democrat Presidents, because if we're not 100% behind our President now, we're America-hating and possibly treasonous.

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years." -- Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

No, actually, we weren't. But now we have Rumsfeld saying that Cheney's "last throes" of the insurgency could go on as long as another 10 years. Right quote, wrong war, wrong President.

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?" -- Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

Kind of what Cindy Sheehan is asking now, while Sean Hannity and the other pro-Bushites try to "Swift Boat" her.

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home." -- Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Really, Senator Santorum. As opposed to THIS President, who has so vastly overspent his administration's initial estimates of the cost of the war in Iraq as to make a teaspoon of water into Lake Erie?

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area." -- Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

Thanks, Senator Lott. I had, and still have, the same doubts about the current war. Glad to know it's okay to state them.

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today" -- Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

Mr. Delay, I couldn't have put it better myself.


The Republican Party: Making statements they will later call anti-American when made against one of THEIR guys since 1992.

Liam.