This is why Bob Graham is not acceptable as a VP....

[Wetzelbill]

Graham voted against the Iraq war partly because he didn't think the IWR didn't go far enough. In Woodward's book "Plan of Attack" on page 204, he said he didn't vote for the Iraq War Resolution because it was "too timid" and "too weak." 'He wanted to give the president authority to not only attack Iraq, but also "to use force against all international terrorist groups who will probably strike the United States as the regime of Saddam Hussein crumbles."

Basically, Graham voted against the Iraq War, not because he is as anti-war as he claims he is, but because he felt the Iraq War Resolution should have allowed Bush a blank check to attack anybody who was considered a terrorist group. If Graham had his way, Bush would have been given authority to bomb Syria and Iran under the pretext of them being international terrorist groups. I think that's unacceptable.

Now maybe Graham wouldn't intend that force to be misused, nobody rational would, but we are talking about the Bush administration here. Dick Cheney would have been licking his chops with authority like that. Remember right after "Mission Accomplished" when all the Neocons were crowing about going into Syria and Iran etc? If Bob Graham had his way Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld would have had written authority in the IWR to do exactly that. All they would have to do is declare those countries or their forces "terorists." You think that wouldn't happen? Think Kyl-Lieberman, we've done it.

So yeah, I like Bob Graham, for the most part, and he is right on his criticisms on pre-Iraq War Intelligence and on some aspects of the war itself. But his judgement on other matters would have been catastrophic, it just happened to work out the opposite was so now he can look prescient for voting against the IWR.

[Unsane]

1. He's also old and can't win FL.

[Wetzelbill]

2. well those don't help either

Next time just come out and say how you feel, haha.

[JCMach1]

8. He NEVER lost an election in Florida

that's all you need to know... He is the one Dem who could seal the state for the Dems

[madfloridian]

3. Bob Graham approved "surgical strikes" against terrorist groups..

not bombing of countries just to be tough.

[Wetzelbill]

5. yeah but what's going to happen if you give that authority to this administration

They have the authority to deem as terrorists whatever they want. He may not have approved it to be tough, but he said the IWR resolution was too timid and that the administration should not only be handed over authority to attack Iraq, but also international terrorist groups who strike the U.S. as the regime crumbles. That's vague, nothing surgical about it, an international terrorist group could be anything. Again, he said on the record that this administration should have been given authority to attack Iraq, he was fine with that, he wished it went further.

[madfloridian]

7. Yes, some of his book sounds pretty hawkish.

I agree.

[JCMach1]

9. He is a MODERATE- However, he was 100% right concerning the intelligence

on the run-up to the Iraq War...

He made the RIGHT decision concerning this... How many OTHER Senators didn't pass this test?


Here is the list of those who did:

Sens. Akaka (D-HI), Bingaman (D-NM), Boxer (D-CA), Byrd (D-WV), Conrad (D-ND), Corzine (D-NJ), Dayton (D-MN), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Graham (D-FL), Inouye (D-HI), Kennedy (D-MA), Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Reed (D-RI), Sarbanes (D-MD), Stabenow (D-MI), Wellstone (D-MN), Wyden (D-OR).

[Crunchy Frog]

4. I'll only accept Kurovski as VP anyway.

[Wetzelbill]

6. that's really the only choice at this point