Democratic Lawmaker Lament Iraq War Vote

[Judi Lynn]

Democratic Lawmaker Lament Iraq War Vote
Democratic Lawmakers Renounce Their Votes Authorizing Iraq War in Light of Events, Bush Policy
By ANDREW MIGA Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Nov 25, 2005 — Three years ago, Massachusetts congressmen Martin Meehan, Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey bucked their state Democratic colleagues and cast votes to give President Bush a green light to go to war in Iraq.

Since then, the three have renounced their votes and emerged as critics of the way Bush has handled the war.

Unlike the dramatic public change of heart by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated Marine veteran who served in Korea and Vietnam, the three congressmen said they began gradually re-evaluating their views soon after the U.S.-led invasion, when no weapons of mass destruction were found.

"The war was based on the false premise that Saddam Hussein had an active nuclear weapons program," said Markey, who accused the administration of "manipulating facts."

They are not the first to express regret about their pro-war votes. Several members of Congress, including Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Robert Wexler, D-Fla., have had changes of heart about Iraq.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1345943&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[Mass]

1. Because there was a rift between those 3 and Kennedy?

may be AP should train their reporters to report facts!

[karynnj]

4. The rift was so large - Wasn't Markey one the coordinators on the RFK

memorial with RFK's daugther? Also, if this led to a rift with them, how do they explain his support for his junior Senator? What's with AP - between this and some other recent articles, they seem to have some big problems. This seems less good that some highschool newspapers.

[wryter2000]

2. Why do I want to smack them?

Now hear this...WE TOLD YOU SO! :mad:

[Tracer]

14. I personally told Markey so ..... 2 1/2 years ago.

He's my Congressman, and we were both in my town's 4th of July parade. And as we were waiting with a few others, I spoke to him for about 5 minutes.

And I didn't mince any words.

Fat lot of good it did.

[brentspeak]

3. I'm just happy my governor-elect was smart enough to vote "no"

Jon Corzine, a smart guy.

[54anickel]

5. "False premise", "manipulating facts". Lets hope they keep saying

it. Come right out and admit you were suckered! It's the least you can do after totally ignoring the masses of protesters world-wide against going to war.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Repentance is a wonderful thing, if it is followed by redemption

Redemption, in this case, is to vote to bring the troops home and to demand accountability from Bush and his henchmen.

I won't ever stand in the way of a politician that is repenting for his/her war vote, but I will condemn any unrepentant politician that continues to defend Bush's war of aggression.

[uniden]

7. bs

now that things didn't turn well. If people still supported the war, they'd be the first saying: "Hey, I voted for it"

[TankLV]

8. Agreed. Spineless fingers in the air wussies.

Glad they are comming around, but they need to all get booted.

When push came to shove, they caved.

We need democrats with spine and fortitude and commen sense!

They can be counted on again to do the WRONG decision in the future!

They have alread proved they are incapable of doing what is right for the country.

[whatelseisnew]

9. Does that make it 6 or 7 who have recanted now? n/t

[gratuitous]

10. Repentance is only the first step

Redemption, reparation and resolve need to follow. What will you do to rectify your error, gentlemen? What will you do to repair and make whole the damage you've caused? And what are you doing to make sure you don't make the same mistake again in the future?

"Well begun is half done" as the old saying goes, but for a change, let's make sure the job gets all the way done this time. We here at DU are just a bunch of bozos with modems, but we knew better than you that this invasion was being launched on false pretenses, and we were screaming it in your faces three years ago.

Get this and get it good: This administration is corrupt. It lies. It thinks nothing of killing innocents by the thousands for its own greater profit. Its pockets are stuffed with the bones and the blood of its victims. You don't owe it your cooperation. You don't owe it your courtesy or comity. You owe it your undying opposition, because the lives of your constituents depends on it. We citizens can't go to Washington and expose their lies, greed and bloodthirsty ways. It's your job, for which you are paid a rather handsome salary and afforded a staff of folks and an office.

Do your jobs, Congressmen. Don't make us come to Washington.

[Peace Patriot]

11. Seems a bit of a stretch that they would be fooled by a policy of....

...slaughtering tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis, and torturing others, to find out whether or not Iraq had nuke weapons, when major alies, UN weapons inspectors and the most of the world didn't think Iraq was a threat, and when Bush's evidence--the Niger documents--were crude, easily detectable forgeries. You'd think they would have at least heeded the big majority--58%!--of the American people who opposed the Iraq war before the invasion, if not these others. But when you combine all the opposition--major allies, the UN, most of the world, and a big majority of Americans, you really have to wonder how anybody in their right minds could have trusted Bush, Cheney and Rumfeld instead.

[Peace Patriot]

12. P.S. I agree with the above. I would rather have Congress critters...

...apologizing, than not. There can be grace in admitting a mistake, and redemption is ALWAYS possible, even in politicians. But, what are we to expect of these critters the next time such a vital decision comes along, or they are given some new line of crap by these or other propagandists in the executive branch, or some new 'Gulf of Tonkin' incident is manufactured to force an expansion of the Mideast War--as seems likely re: Syria and Iran?

They need to earn back our trust. It should not be easily awarded to them--or then WE are the fools.

Again, I would sooner support these apologizers than Bush's "pod people" in Congress who will never apologize for anything, or the War Democrats who are trying to hoodwink us with a "gradual withdrawal" line of B.S.--if those are the only choices permitted to us by Bush's buds at Diebold and ES&S. But that apology needs to include a TRUTHFUL analysis of what has gone wrong, with our government and within their own heads. Why did no one object when Bush announced his tyrannical polticy of pre-emptive war at West Point in 2002? How could they tolerate such a policy in the first place? How/why did they trust Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld over and above the majority of Americans, the UN weapons inspectors, major allies and most of the world? Fear? Bullying? Laziness? Inattention? Blowing with the wind? What?

A real apology is needed, that must include truthful acknowledgement of how such an horrendous mistake could be made, and how to prevent it in the future. And I'm sorry, but I just don't buy that they were lied to and fooled--not with the rest of the world crying out against the invasion, and contrary information about Iraq WMDs easily available on the internet. (I'm a nobody and I knew within a few days of Powell's speech that it was a 100% load of crap.)

Apparently, they were all equally fooled by--or inattentive to--Bushite corporations gaining control over the tabulation of our votes with 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code in the new electronic voting systems. Where is there apology--and remedy--for THAT? What is to prevent this nightmare from happening all over again?

We need REMEDIES more than we need apologies. We need transparent elections and REAL representation of the people?

[MaineDem]

13. Who writes these headlines?

Democratic Lawmaker Lament Iraq War Vote

One lawmaker or more than one?

"Lament" refers to a plural subject. One lawmaker laments the vote but many lawmakers lament it.

I just wonder what twit at AP wrote this.

That being said...all members of Congress face an election next year. Let's see how they react between now and then. Better late than never is a good thing but is it just political expediency?