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)