Reply #32: They made a valid choice. But Dems who voted for the compromise IWR [View All]

[pnwmom]

in October 2002 made a valid choice, too.

Because they knew that if all the Democrats voted against the Oct. IWR and it failed , that would have no effect on Bush's plans. In fact, it would free him up. Because all he would have had to do was wait for his incoming House and Senate majorities in the following January. Then he could get his minions to approve his preferred version of the IWR -- without any conditions -- that would allow him to attack any country in the Middle East.

So the real choice all the Democrats faced was this:
Work with the Republicans to approve an IWR with as many restrictions as they could manage.
Or stand by in January while the Republicans -- without the help of a single Democratic vote -- rammed through their own version of the IWR, giving Bush a virtual blank check.

Now, at least, we can point to language in the IWR as proof that Congress never intended to give Bush permission to attack Iran or Syria. But what if Bush had gone to war based on a Republican IWR passed in January 2003? There's a good chance we'd already be in Iran.