What do Senators Boxer, Feingold, Kennedy, and Wellstone all have in common?

[Shemp Howard]

They all voted against the Iraq War Resolution. Bernie Sanders, who was in the House at the time, also voted against the resolution.

But Senator Hillary Clinton voted FOR the resolution. I wonder why. Take your pick:

1. Senator Clinton thought that another war was just fine, a dandy idea.
2. Senator Clinton opposed starting another war, but thought that a nay vote would hurt her politically.
3. Senator Clinton bought Bush's lies. She didn't bother to think it through, like all of the nay votes did.

Note that there is no "let's move on" choice. That's because people are still dying in Iraq today because of that vote. And veterans are still suffering in VA hospitals today because of that vote.

It is not ancient history.

[reddread]

1. 1.

she knew more than most about what was up.
as much as anyone.

[TomCADem]

2. Wait, So Barbara Boxer Is Now No Longer Under the Bus?

So called progressives have been attacking her integrity and whether she is progressive for the past few days, then suddenly you proudly note that she stood shoulder to shoulder with Bernie?

[Shemp Howard]

3. Boxer did not plan to stand with Bernie.

This is not a Bernie / Boxer thing. It's an illegal war thing.

Boxer bravely stood against an immoral and illegal war. Bernie bravely stood against an immoral and illegal war. But Hillary did not.

Do you think future historians will care if Boxer and Bernie had differences? I don't think so. Future historians will care about who facilitated that terrible war, and who opposed it.

[sheshe2]

7. Hold up.

This is Bush Cheney Condi Rice Rumsfeld's war. Why do you lay it all on Hillary? You have no shame.

I just guess the GOP never existed back then, only Hillary. Pathetic.

[Shemp Howard]

8. You are right!

"This is Bush Cheney Condi Rice Rumsfeld's war."

No truer words were ever said. And I'm sure that future historians will prove that you are right. In a just world, all four of those people would be in prison. In a semi-just world, all four of those people would be quietly volunteering in a VA hospital somewhere.

But those four criminals had help, help that made things so much easier for them. And Hillary was one of those helpers. It's a sad fact, but it's true nevertheless.

[sheshe2]

9. Would you link to what she did?

What did BS do? He funded that war. Please tell me what each sitting Senator did or did not do.

Was Hill the only Senator at that time? It was Bushco and ya'll never ever blame him. It is all Hillary's fault.

It was BUSH and you say all the atrocities of that war fall on Hillary's shoulders.

OMG.

[Scuba]

14. Here's what she did: Parrott's Bush's lies, phrase for phrase ....

Meanwhile, Bernie predicted the quagmire that would result, even predicting the rise of ISIS ...

Knowing which one to trust is an easy choice for me.

[JCanete]

5. come on...She's as good as the establishment gets. When she shills for it

and yes, lies for it, that is disappointing if not entirely surprising, but it doesn't mean we collectively hate her and can't appreciate her strengths. I for one am not going to trust candidacy advice from the person who went to bat for Lieberman against Lamont, nor the person that went on record early to call Bernie out as not a Democrat, despite his votes more closely mimicking Boxer's on things like the Iraq war than Clinton.

That said, I still appreciate her record in congress, and she worked within the system to be as good as it gets. But if she isn't willing to change the system and actively works to keep it entrenched, then her dissenting votes were just tokens anyway, which she could safely make without rocking any boats, and unless you like the status quo, which I think Hillary supporters should just admit already and be done with it, I think that should trouble you as much as it troubles me.

[TheKentuckian]

6. +1

[dreamnightwind]

11. + another

Well said, and welcome to DU!

[Vote2016]

4. kick & rec #5

[tirebiter]

10. What did McCarthy, Kennedy, and McGovern have in common?

They all voted for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. 1968 was only 3 years later.

[Art_from_Ark]

12. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution vote was in August 1964

98 Senators voted for the resolution, after being told that the North Vietnamese Navy had fired on American ships, an act of war, but many of those senators quickly realized that they had been deceived. Among the first was Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright, who wrote a book titled "The Arrogance of Power" in 1966 and began appearing on Sunday political shows to oppose the war. Many "doves" joined ranks with Fulbright, including the ones you mentioned.

The Iraq War Resolution was a different animal. There was no attack by Iraq, which, after 12 years of crippling sanctions had absolutely no capability to attack the US, and millions of people in the US and around the world knew from the outset that the resolution was bogus, especially when it was clear to observers that Bush and Cheney were itching for a war with Iraq as soon as they had taken the keys to the White House. Bush launched a bombing campaign against Iraq just 3 weeks after entering the White House, and it was widely believed that Iraqi oil fields had been a major topic of Cheney's secret energy meetings.

[Ichingcarpenter]

13. I think things went to hell after' the Lion of the Senate' Ted Kennedy died

There was already at that time a Kennedy wing of the party and a 'Third Way Clinton' wing of the party.
The 'third way' Senators voted for Bush's lying war and the Kennedy wing did not. I think Kennedy should also be remembered as also


The conscious of the Party

He had enormous influence on the direction of the party and never forget his roaring speeches on the senate floor for what is right and even his endorsement of Barack Obama. He didn't endorse the Hillary run for President.

He helped keep the party in check. He was also Obama's mentor and kept him from straying from the path. Don't forget Obama was against the war too.

I think Obama's presidency would have been much different if Kennedy had lived but that's my opinion.






After he died
He left a huge vacuum that the third way and the dark forces took advantage of.




Kennedy speaking against the war before the vote

A largely unilateral American war that is widely perceived in the Muslim world as untimely or unjust could worsen not lessen the threat of terrorism. War with Iraq before a genuine attempt at inspection and disarmament, or without genuine international support -- could swell the ranks of Al Qaeda sympathizers and trigger an escalation in terrorist acts. As General Clark told the Senate Armed Services Committee, it would "super-charge recruiting for Al Qaeda."

http://www.tedkennedy.org/ownwords/event/sais_iraq

Kennedy fighting for universal health care for all americans

http://www.tedkennedy.org/service/item/health_care