Dean: Statement on Recent Casualties in Iraq

[sfecap]

Statement on Recent Casualties in Iraq

PORTSMOUTH, NH-- Governor Howard Dean, M.D. issued the following statement in response to the increasing number of casualties in Iraq:

"In October of 2002, the President and the Congress took us to war in Iraq. The American people never heard a real debate in Washington over the costs of this war and whether the war was justified.

"Yesterday, 12 brave soldiers from the Iowa National Guard's 1133rd Transportation Company of Mason City were injured along with 18 other Americans. One American died in that attack.

"Elsewhere in Iraq yesterday, another 9 soldiers were killed when their helicopter was apparently shot down. Since the war began, we have lost 494 soldiers in Iraq. Roughly 9,000 American troops have been evacuated from Iraq due to serious injuries or sickness, usually flown home in the dark of night when there are no news crews to record their arrival.

"All Iowans - and all Americans - expect and deserve answers about this war and its grim cost in lost and shattered lives.

"But today - instead of explaining why they voted for this war - my Democratic opponents in the Iowa caucuses would rather talk about trivialities."

[bemildred]

1. Hammer and tongs baby, hammer and tongs, keep it up. nt

[David Zephyr]

12. Hammer and Tongs, Baby! !

So with you, Bemildred!

[Cocoa]

2. he should be laying the blame on Bush

to say that the responsibility lies with his dem opponents is simply inaccurate.

[Jacobin]

3. Are we forgetting about the candidates who voted for the war?

[Metrix]

4. We do not have any candidates who voted for the war

Bush is the commander-in-chief. He started his long-planned invasion at a time when the inspectors had been allowed back into Iraq -- against the wishes of his administration. He did not allow the process to work because occupation and control of the oil fields was always the goal. Everything else was a ruse. The U.N. could not stop him. The Congress could not stop him. After 9/11 any pretext that the American people are not "safe" will work. The corporate media was 100% behind Bush's "march to war."

Dean should criticize Bush. He is making himself look small and unserious.

[Bandit]

5. Congress has the power to send Americans off to war ~ No one else

They had to grant that authority to Bush* and they did. Don't try and say Congress could not have stopped this Pre-Emptive assault on a sovereign nation.

[Cocoa]

6. when was the last time Congress stopped a war?

anyway, Dean is blaming Kerry among others for these deaths yesterday, I think that's out of line.

I hope Kerry unloads on Dean for this terrible statement, and I hope Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd join him.

[Bandit]

7. Many many people on this forum are in agreement with Dean about

Congress giving Bush* unlimited authority to go to war. People are not happy about the IWR vote. I did not get the same thing out of Dean's speach that you apparently did. Remember people do have to take responsiblity for their actions, even Senator Kerry. I don't hold him responsible for Americans dying in Iraq but who is responsible? Remember it is Congress that sends Americans off to war. I think Bush* lied to Congress and they voted according to those lies but it would be nice to hear someone say that. Instead of just picking Dean apart for whatever. Turn-about is fair play.

[Cocoa]

13. it's about credibility for me

if someone is going to go as far as using the deaths of nine soldiers against his political opponents, he'd better be on real firm ground.

Dean is nowhere close. I don't believe with a bone in my body that his opposition to the war is as total as he claims it is.

Kennedy maybe, Kucinich maybe, but Dean NO WAY.

And I'm not hearing Kennedy or Kucinich go anywhere near where Dean went. That's another red flag for me.

[ozone_man]

14. I think there have been 500 deaths

and 2,000 casualties, not all them are being blamed on Kerry. How many senators are there, 100? You do the math.

Don't worry, after the primaries, Dean will come down on Bush like a ton of bricks.

[damnraddem]

10. The Dems should have been criticizing the war plans.

Instead, almost all (Kucinich being a wonderful exception) voted to support the basic war plans. Kerry and Clark have criticized HOW the invasion was carried out and the aftermath was mismanaged, not the invasion itself -- which they still support.

Talk all you want about who actually sent the troops -- if Clark or Kerry is the Dem candidate, I'll have to hold my nose when I vote for that candidate. It will be a matter of the lesser of two evils, once again.

[sandnsea]

17. Not true

Kerry did not, does not, never has supported this invasion. He has said repeatedly that he would have let the inspections continue for as long as was necessary. This is Dean's only issue. When he's got nothing else, he throws out the old IWR card. He's the one that didn't want to talk about Iraq in the debates and wanted to talk about domestic issues, remember? He's the one that says next year's election is going to be on the economy and not security. Well he's going down in flames on the economy because of his stupid tax hikes. He can't challenge anybody on corporate fraud because he's been so embroiled in it himself. He's got nothing except the old IWR card, so he's throwing it back out there. If he wants to beat Bush, he needs to hold the person who started it accountable, George Bush. But truth is, nobody in the mainstream arena gives a toot about what Howard Dean has to say about Bush because he has no security credibility. So all Howard has left is beating up the Democrats and destroying any chance we have at winning. He needs to shut up and go home.

[Cocoa]

20. "Iraq, Iraq, Iraq"

I remember Dean being annoyed by all the Iraq questions last winter, when both Democrats and Republicans in Congress were, despite what Dean is saying, questioning the Bushies at hearings, and the Bushies were stonewalling them and lying to them abut their plans and their projected costs.

[worldgonekrazy]

8. That is laughable

If the candidates that DID vote for the war (or supported it, but could not vote for it because they were busy making money for Acxiom) really though that Bush was going to do the right thing then they are FUCKING IDIOTS.

[Clovis Sangrail]

16. exactly

>then they are FUCKING IDIOTS.

which brings us right back to them NOT DESERVING OUR VOTES.

[mouse7]

22. Even Candy Crowley & FOX said IWR vote was to okay invasion

To claim the vote on IWR was anything but a fully knowledge vote to authorize an invasion is simply not true. Even the media whores said what the vote was at the time of the vote.

[Skittles]

9. I'm sorry, what happened in October 2002 ?

?

[damnraddem]

11. Vote for war resolution.

Dems, scared of Dubya right before the 2002 election, voted overwhelmingly to give Dubya a free hand. He used that hand to slap them first in the election, then five months later to invade Iraq.

[pacifictiger]

15. From his statement, I don't get that Dean was blaming

the others for the deaths. What I interpret him to be saying is, look, instead of you guys criticising me for straight-from-the-lip-statements made 4-8 years ago (and dredged up by who knows who), remember you guys also helped give Bush permission to wage war. Instead, everyone should be putting their focus on the terrible shituation at hand.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

18. I agree

Dean is blaming Congress as a whole for not adequately addressing the issues involved in going to war before they voted for it. His comment about the other candidates is just saying that they should be talking about this issue instead of attacking him.

[Bandit]

21. That was my point also you just said it better

:-) Congress is not blameless in this. And instead of attacking each other they should explain why they allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by these "adults" in the Administration.

[Moderator]

19. Does anybody have a link?

Thanks.

[Malva Zebrina]

23. Strikes me odd that these honorable congressional seat holders

some of whom have been around for a long time, were "hoodwinked" all except a handful--Senator Byrd was not hoodwinked and neither was the honorable Dennis Kucinich. Millions of people worldwide were not hoodwinked either and more than one, I wager, are not privy to the high office of a representative in the congress of the US>

No--they were scared for themself and, imo, figured they offer the excuse that they were lied to when and if it becomes necessary and lo and behold, that is exactly the excuse they offer to us now--except for the steady Dennis Kucinich.

I cannot vote for anyone who played that game, for I view it as a political game played frequently in the halls of congress and I submit that the players here just did automatically out of habit because it worked in some place before for them.

Scared of Bush they are--and it does not bode well for me--the next one to challenge the boy Dauphine will have to be someone who is NOT afraid and NOT tippy toeing around out of FEAR of Bush and FEAR of losing this vote and that vote--who wants a fearful person running around representing the Democrats? They already have a house and a senate full of them--and they voted Bush "a blank check" to invade Iraq, and any other country he deems appropriate.