In their Own Words: GOP war leaders explain why they cannot be trusted

Here we are, a week out from the election. What can I write that would wake up the fence-sitters and otherwise same Americans to the fact that the party in power lied to us about Iraq and deserves some old-fashioned “democracy-building” upside their heads? How about this: list what they have said (with sources) and contrast it with what other folks (mostly Democrats) have said. This isn’t my original idea — it comes from Stupid Quotes About Iraq by Daniel Kurtzman. Since it seems to be so hard for some of us to tell truth from fiction and wisdom from idiocy, I’ve added labels for the slow learners. In all-caps.

STUPID: “My answer is bring ‘em on.”
—President George W. Bush, July 2, 2003 (Source)
WISE: “War is wretched beyond description, and only a fool or a fraud could sentimentalize its cruel reality.“
— John McCain, May 6, 1999 (Source)

LIE: “I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.”
— Vice President Dick Cheney (Source)
WISE: “The administration needs to speak honestly with the American people. Exaggerating our progress in defeating the insurgency or in creating an Iraqi army paints a dangerous picture.”
— Sherrod Brown (Source)

STUPID: “As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.”
—Donald Rumsfeld, Dec. 8, 2004 (Source)
WISE: “It’s easy to sit in your air-conditioned offices and send them into battle.“
— Jack Murtha (Source)

LIE: “My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.”
–Vice President Dick Cheney, March 16, 2003 (Source)
TRUTH: Asked in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll whether they view the U.S.-led coalition as “liberators” or “occupiers,” 71% of all respondents say “occupiers.”
(Source)
LIE: “Ladies and gentlemen, these are not assertions. These are facts, corroborated by many sources, some of them sources of the intelligence services of other countries.”
— Colin Powell, on Iraq’s WMDs, Feb. 5, 2003 (Source)
TRUTH: “…it turned out that the sourcing was inaccurate and wrong and in some cases, deliberately misleading.“
— Colin Powell, May 2004 (Source)

STUPID: “Freedom’s untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.”
–Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on looting in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, adding “stuff happens,” April 11, 2003 (Source)
(Source)
WISE: “If we have a chance of succeeding and bringing stability and democracy to Iraq, it will mean learning from our mistakes, not denying them and not ignoring them. ”
— Carl Levin

STUPID: “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
— President Bush, May 2, 2003 (Source)
http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=politicalhumor&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Fp%2Fnea%2Frls%2Frm%2F20203.htm
SMART: “After a brilliant offensive campaign to destroy the Iraqi military forces, we have settled into a very dismal and dangerous occupation.”
— Jack Reed

This one is my favorite because it proves this President has contempt for the truth. Has he not heard of a little thing called videotape? Or YouTube?

LIE: “Well, hey, listen, we’ve never been “stay the course,” George. We have been — we will complete the mission, we will do our job, and help achieve the goal, but we’re constantly adjusting to tactics. Constantly.”
— President Bush, October 22, 2006 (Source)
TRUTH: “We will stay the course, we will help this young Iraqi democracy succeed, and victory in Iraq will be a major ideological triumph in the struggle of the 21st century.“ — President Bush, August 30, 2006 (Source)

Among the 10 Worst

Rolling Stone magazine has announced its estimation of the 10 Worst Congressmen from the worst Congress ever, and the Bluegrass state made the list: Rep. Hal Rogers, who is one of Washington's Kings of Pork. Talk about betraying the Conservative Soul. The archconservative National Review called Rogers a "disgrace." (Not my district, for what it's worth....).

The Conservative Soul

Stayed up late last night watching Andrew Sullivan on C-SPAN's Q&A. Sullivan is promoting his new book, The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get it Back.

I have seen Sullivan before, even read some of his stuff, but I was really impressed with him last night. He's a gay, HIV-positive, passionately Catholic Englishman, Harvard-educated PhD in political philosophy and a powerful advocate for classic conservatism, a la Edmund Burke, William F. Buckley, etc. Listening to Sullivan talk about politics, faith, being a gay conservative, etc., was captivating, especially his take on how doubt is the heart of real faith and good politics. If there was ever a manifesto for how the Republican party betrayed its own principles, and what it might look like if they ever found their way again, it's The Conservative Soul. See the interview here.

A Presidential Disaster

I must have missed this one when it made the news a week or two ago, and I couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself: President Bush describing the war in Iraq as a "comma" in history.

An Example

What would a "Freedom Democrat" look like? Paul Gessing over at Free Liberal says take a look at Florida Congressional candidate Frank Gonzalez. He promises to be the Democrat "Ron Paul."

Liberty Dems

At Cato Unbound, Markos "Daily Kos" Moulitsas makes his case for why libertarians and libertarian-leaning folks belong with the Democrats (at least for now). From a purist libertarian perspective, his argument doesn't work, of course, but neither do the arguments for the libertarian-Republican coalition promoted by the folks over at the Republican Liberty Caucus (Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul notwithstanding). If libertarians are serious about having some actual influence over the political world, working with one of the two parties is an evil necessity, and the Republicans ain't it. For more see the Freedom Democrats blog (with more discussion of Kos' article).

Moulitsas' is the first in a series on the topic. More perspectives will be posted at Cato Unbound.

Back in June Reason's Jesse Walker made some libertarian suggestions for "How to be a Half-Decent Democrat."

Our Elder Statesman

Former President Jimmy Carter lays the smack down on the Bush administration in an interview with ABC News. Among his comments: how success in Afghanistan was abandoned to pursue Iraq, the government's dishonesty, Rumsfeld's failure of leadership, and Clinton's efforts to stop Al-Queda.