2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHillary was offered a private briefing on Iraq Before her Vote - By an expert and passed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-ritter/hillary-clinton-iraq-war-vote_b_9350340.htmlThe Meeting That Never Was: One UN Weapons Inspector's Effort to Educate Hillary Before Her Iraq Vote
Scott Ritter
Hillary Clinton was my Senator in 2002, and as a constituent who possessed unmatched qualifications on the issue of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, I felt I had a duty to brief her; and as her constituent, she had a responsibility to give me a hearing. But she never did.
America heads to the polls tomorrow as part of "Super Tuesday," and supporters of Hillary Clinton hope they will be able to cement the inevitability of her status as the Democratic Party's nominee for president of the United States with an impressive victory. Politicians like to live in the moment, and Hillary Clinton is no different, cloaking herself in the aura of a woman who is well positioned to make the hard choices of governance based upon her "experience, wisdom, skepticism, and humility." But Hillary's "moment" was shaken to the core by the resignation Sunday -- two days before the "Super Tuesday" contests -- of Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a veteran of the Iraq War, from her position as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Tulsi Gabbard's resignation came at the same time she announced her decision to throw her support behind Hillary Clinton's rival for the Democratic Party nomination, citing "the necessity to have a commander-in-chief who has foresight, who exercises good judgment ... who looks at the consequences of the actions they are willing to take before they take those actions so that we don't continue to find ourselves in these failures that have resulted in chaos in the Middle East and so much loss of life." Tulsi Gabbard, in looking toward the future of America post-Barack Obama, has refused to allow the politics of the moment to blind her to the reality of the past, and in doing so has shined a spotlight on an issue Hillary Clinton wishes would go away -- her vote in support of military action against Iraq in 2002.
"I have a much longer history than one vote, which I said was a mistake because of the way that it was done and how the Bush administration handled it," Hillary has said, trying to explain away her actions. The issue at hand, however, isn't simply one vote, but rather the processes behind the casting of that one vote which shed considerable light on the judgement of the individual involved. This isn't the first time I've called out Hillary Clinton on the utter hypocrisy of her vote to authorize military force against Iraq in 2002 -- in early 2007 I wrote a piece for AlterNet that addressed my concerns then, on the eve of her first bid for the Democratic Party nomination.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)Her moment in the sun.
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)Worst foreign policy decision in American history.
Autumn
(45,120 posts)PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)What a disgusting piece of shit Tony bLIAR is.
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)How times change
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Why do her supporters continue to ignore her intentional or unintentional
poor judgment ???
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Welded at the hip to the banksters and the MIC. What's not to love?
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)She has supported the MIC her entire life.
She has no intention of stopping now.
peacebird
(14,195 posts)NWCorona
(8,541 posts)peacebird
(14,195 posts)I Will Never Vote For This Callow Creature
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)KeepItReal
(7,769 posts)Who also was a Marine officer.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Qutzupalotl
(14,334 posts)jfern
(5,204 posts)Bob Graham and Dick Durbin pushed for an intelligence report to be made available to Senators and urged Senators to read it. they voted no.
thereismore
(13,326 posts)judgement. Did you notice her weasel wording? It was a mistake because of the way it was done.
procon
(15,805 posts)"In 2001 Ritter on two occasions was detained and later arrested on charges of soliciting minors for sex on the Internet that were both dismissed. He was arrested on similar charges in 2010 that led to a conviction and sentence of one and a half to five and a half years."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter
gregcrawford
(2,382 posts)... that is no way negates his knowledge and expertise regarding the lies and fabrications that led us to war in Iraq.
VulgarPoet
(2,872 posts)...Ritter's disgusting proclivities aside, something reeks of hypocrisy in Camp Weathervane.
Happenstance24
(193 posts)PaulaFarrell
(1,236 posts)They are SO over 2003
farleftlib
(2,125 posts)Period. This, like so many other things we've learned about her, is indefensible.
She lacked the moral fiber to stand up to the schoolyard bully, now she wants a pass because she says she didn't know he was lying. Well, I did, and I didn't have any experts with inside knowledge knocking at my door.
K & R.
Uncle Joe
(58,426 posts)Thanks for the thread, Ferd Berfel.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)utterly devoid of conscience, as brimming with hypocrisy and self-serving back-patting as anything I have ever seen in my adult life, and that stretches back to Richard Nixon.
moondust
(20,006 posts)She wasn't afraid. Strong leader. Fearless. Taking on the terrorists.
Wow.
Great imagery! Will make a great campaign ad someday.
Except...some of the worst judgment in U.S./world history.
AzDar
(14,023 posts)Freddie Stubbs
(29,853 posts)Verdict: Ex-UN weapons inspector Ritter guilty of all but one count in sex sting
Former U.N. chief weapons inspector Scott Ritter has been found guilty of unlawful contact with a minor and five of six other charges after a three-day trial in Monroe County Court on charges stemming from an online sex sting. He was acquitted on a criminal attempt charge
Ritter's 18-year-old twin daughters covered their faces and began sobbing while their mother tried to console them as the verdict was read. He faces up to seven years in prison on the most serious of the charges.
Monroe County Court Judge Jennifer Sibum gave Ritter until the end of the business day Tuesday to come up with $25,000 bail or he will be placed in Monroe County Correctional Facility until he posts that amount. The ever-stoic Ritter and his family and attorneys then left the courtroom, making no comment to reporters.
The jury deliberated for more than seven hours Thursday after the prosecution and defense both gave closing arguments in the morning.
Ritter, 49, of Delmar, N.Y., masturbated on a Web camera and engaged in a sexually graphic online chat with an undercover Barrett Township police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl in 2009.
more: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110414/NEWS/110419856/-1/NEWSMAP
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)And one doesn't have a damned thing to do with the other.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Freddie Stubbs
(29,853 posts)elmac
(4,642 posts)Vote to invade a country that had nothing to do with 911
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)predator.
delrem
(9,688 posts)stuff that comes out of the mouths of 50yr old POTUS's re. diddling with a 23yr old intern is more down your alley?
You know, that narcissistic loony tune who victimized the POTUS?
Is that far enough down your alley?
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)I wouldn't believe a word out of the mouth of a confessed and convicted sexual predator.
delrem
(9,688 posts)Ritter's guilt has no bearing on HRC's innocence of all charges w.r.t. her Iraq war vote.
Some people just want to know why. We're talking a million dead, now, in this escalating situation.
Some people want to know why HRC escalated the conflict by taking out Libya.
It really makes no sense, given the surrounding context, unless one's intent is to further inflame the PNAC wars and escalate them to take out even more countries. Like Syria. And HRC has made it crystal clear that Iran is in the cross-hairs, after Syria, so ...
You like that, msanthrope? You like the rivers of blood flowing as effluent after the war profiteers have their way?
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)showed up at her office one day, without an appointment, she wasn't available.
I am sure that when John Kerry ran, you invoked the rivers of blood and did not vote for him, right?
delrem
(9,688 posts)And the pretense of it.
I'm appalled by the amorality of the mindset that could excuse and promote the continuing bloodbath, while deriding those who don't.
But that's the ... occasion ... that Hillary's supporters offer me on DU. To meet with you.
Good day to you.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)delrem
(9,688 posts)On some issues I take an absolute stand.
I did back in Henry Kissinger's heyday, too. I hated the fucker. I hated the fucker with a vengeance the moment I heard of him, way back when.
So no, I' won't lighten up and pretend that the rivers of blood are so much kool-aid.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)delrem
(9,688 posts)It's you who loves you some war.
I bet you don't even bother to count the dead.
Not like you care.
delrem
(9,688 posts)She sounds like a woman for whom lives matter, and not just fat profits from selling cluster munitions, and backing wars that use them.
Nice to know that some people in the USA actually care.
Broward
(1,976 posts)Therefore, no need for her to talk with Ritter.
delrem
(9,688 posts)There was no need for her to talk with anyone.
Not even the gov't of the USA.
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)Hopefully 😀
delrem
(9,688 posts)That's what the FBI investigation is about, you see?
It isn't something that one can pretend doesn't exist, so doesn't exist, as if it were a magic pony.
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)She was "briefed" about it by her aides.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)polly7
(20,582 posts)said so at the time. She can apologize a thousand times, it won't make up for the mess of human suffering she helped create by publicly pushing for it and voting for it - and this, ignoring someone who knew about Iraq's weapons capability.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)What's he doing now?
Sid
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)Let's hope that because of the way she voted, it shortens her career.
Jitter65
(3,089 posts)But then, it was only Hillary's vote that turned the vote FOR the invasion. She is breathtakingly powerful That is why she should be President.
Wilms
(26,795 posts)-R. Reagan
Freddie Stubbs
(29,853 posts)Verdict: Ex-UN weapons inspector Ritter guilty of all but one count in sex sting
Former U.N. chief weapons inspector Scott Ritter has been found guilty of unlawful contact with a minor and five of six other charges after a three-day trial in Monroe County Court on charges stemming from an online sex sting. He was acquitted on a criminal attempt charge
Ritter's 18-year-old twin daughters covered their faces and began sobbing while their mother tried to console them as the verdict was read. He faces up to seven years in prison on the most serious of the charges.
Monroe County Court Judge Jennifer Sibum gave Ritter until the end of the business day Tuesday to come up with $25,000 bail or he will be placed in Monroe County Correctional Facility until he posts that amount. The ever-stoic Ritter and his family and attorneys then left the courtroom, making no comment to reporters.
The jury deliberated for more than seven hours Thursday after the prosecution and defense both gave closing arguments in the morning.
Ritter, 49, of Delmar, N.Y., masturbated on a Web camera and engaged in a sexually graphic online chat with an undercover Barrett Township police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl in 2009.
more: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110414/NEWS/110419856/-1/NEWSMAP
Does this sound like a mentally stable person whose word should be accepted as fact?
Wilms
(26,795 posts)Is the story THAT hard to believe??
We're you one of those who heeded the word of the bush admin? I wasn't. And that was the easy part. Trying to figure out why so many fell for it is the hard part.
She other didn't realize, in which case she's incompetent. Or she did know, and lied.
Guess who I call a LIAR. Go on, Fred. Shocking, I know. Hillary is a LIAR.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Is the claim really that Clinton is just that prescient?
Or is the jury willing to consider that her vote for war might have a foregone conclusion?