Republican flip-flops

[FORD]

All quotes are references to US troops in Bosnia under President Clinton....

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

"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)

"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

" 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. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
---Sen Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
---Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain the y have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
---Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush

"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)

"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)

"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)

[LoungeMachine]

:neo-con crickets chirping:

[Warham]

You CAN support the troops, but not the President.

It's what you guys have been saying for the last two years.

Do you find it a flip-flop?

I don't think any Republican has said that to support the troops, you had to support Bush. Rather, they've said to support the troops, you must support the MISSION. You can't support the troops and hope we fail over there. It doesn't work that way.

Delay was correct.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Warham
...

Delay was correct.

Fine, maybe he should have imparted this eloquent wisdom on the current PRESIDENT...

[Warham]

You guys think Delay is worse than Satan.

Please.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Warham
You CAN support the troops, but not the President.

It's what you guys have been saying for the last two years.

Do you find it a flip-flop?

I don't think any Republican has said that to support the troops, you had to support Bush. Rather, they've said to support the troops, you must support the MISSION. You can't support the troops and hope we fail over there. It doesn't work that way.

Delay was correct.

The point here is that when any Democrat has made a statement like any of the above against the Chimp and his illegal war, they have been denounced as "unpatriotic" and "anti-American", and most of the rhetoric has come from the very idiots quoted above. It's a hypocritical double standard.

Furthermore, how the FUCK are we supposed to support the BCE's mission when we (and probably even the Chimp) don't know what the hell it is?

I do NOT support the PNAC mission as it is written in their Mein Kampf 2K agenda. I do not and I will not support global fascism no matter how they label it. As far as the mission "failing", it already has.

If the mission was to disarm Saddam Hussein, they failed before they started, because there was nothing to disarm.

If the mission was to bring freedom and democracy to Iraq, they failed, because Iraq is now an Islamic republic under Sharia law. Great job, PNAC'ers.

If the mission is to secure oil fields for corporations and help establish a Likud dominance in the Middle East, then that "mission" is TREASON against the United States of America, and Chimp & the PNAC'ers should be tried and convicted accordingly.

[Warham]

The mission hasn't failed. We won't know if it will fail or succeed for YEARS, long after Hillary is president.

Our mission in Iraq was not to form a representative republic like our own. The press would have had a field day with that if we were to strong-arm the Iraqis into forming a specific kind of government. One of the goals was to free them from Hussein's brutal regime so that the country could make up it's own mind what kind of government it wanted, Islam or no.

[Satan]

Originally posted by Warham
You guys think Delay is worse than Satan.

Please.

HEY!

I resent that comparison!

[BigBadBrian]

Re: Republican flip-flops

Originally posted by FORD
All quotes are references to US troops in Bosnia under President Clinton....

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

"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)

"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

" 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. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
---Sen Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
---Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain the y have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
---Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush

"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)

"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)

"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)

Nice. All of the following quotes pertain to Saddam Hussein before the Iraq War. It's all fucking politics. Ain't life a bitch.

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to
develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them.
That is our bottom line."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We
want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass
destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal
here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear,
chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest
security threat we face."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten time
since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb,18,1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the
U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if
appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond
effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of
mass destruction programs."

Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom
Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass
destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he
has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D,CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has .. chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass
destruction and palaces for his cronies."
Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons
programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs
continue at apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition,
Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the
cover of an illicit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that
will threaten the United States and our allies."

Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others,
Dec . 5, 2001

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat
to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandates of
the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the
means of delivering them."
Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical
weapons throughout his country."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to
deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is
in power."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing
weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27,2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are
confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and
biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to
build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence
reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority
to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because believe
that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a
real and grave threat to our security."
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively
to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the
next five years .. We also should remember we have always underestimated
the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass
destruction."
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years,
every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and
destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This
he has refused to do"
Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show
that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological
weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He
has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al
Qaeda members.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam
Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and
chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10,2002

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam
Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for
the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Bob Graham (D,FL), Dec. 8, 2002

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal,
murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a
particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to
miscalculation ..And now he is miscalculating America's response to his
continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction
... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is
real."
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA),Jan.23. 2003

[Nickdfresh]

Um BRIAN, none of the 1998 quotes indicated a desire to invade, conquer, and occupy IRAQ.

And let's not forget how the 2002 quotes were being fed off of faulty intelligence picture spun by an administration hell bent for war...

[Warham]

Well, Clinton was hellbent on regime change there. How the hell was that supposed to happen? Get Kofi Annan over there to ask Saddam to hand the keys over nicely?

[Guitar Shark]

They could have enticed Saddam across the border using a bag of Doritos. He loves those things.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Guitar Shark
They could have enticed Saddam across the border using a bag of Doritos. He loves those things.

Haha! Cool avatar!

Originally posted by Warham
Well, Clinton was hellbent on regime change there. How the hell was that supposed to happen? Get Kofi Annan over there to ask Saddam to hand the keys over nicely?

Who said he was "hellbent on regime change?" He tried to affect it using covert action, but there comes a time when it's the nation's own citizens that must make the changes, not the US.

[Warham]

Make sure it's a family sized bag, too! No shortchanging Saddam!

Yeah, we definately torture our captives by giving them Doritos. The calories! Oh, the horrors we've inflicted.

[Guitar Shark]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
He tried to affect it using covert action

Pat Robertson would be so proud.