Before I even
start, since Sanders supporters tend to accuse people who support Hillary Clinton
of duplicity to distract from whatever points they are making, note the two
links to previous articles of mine at the bottom of this page where I make the
same points back in 2006 and 2009.
In the lead up to today’s first Presidential debate of
the 2016 Democratic primary, indications have come from the Sanders camp that Bernie
intends to bring up Hillary Clinton’s 2002 vote on the Iraq War Resolution to
try to hurt her during the debate.
There is so much revisionist history pushed regarding
that vote that I bet most folks don’t even know they are engaging in
revisionism.
The Iraq War Resolution vote, like UN Security CouncilResolution 1441 that occurred within a few weeks of each other were efforts to
pressure Iraq to allow UN Weapons Inspectors back into the country. Allowing UN Weapons Inspectors into the
country for a continuous inspection regime was part of a deal that Iraq struck
in order for a cease fire to be put into effect at the end of the first Gulf
War in 1991. This deal was enshrined in several UN Security Council Resolutions
and were imposed on Iraq because Iraq had engaged in an unprovoked war of
aggression against Kuwait and attempted to annex that small country.
In case anyone is unaware, engaging in an unprovoked war
of aggression is a war crime.
So the Iraq War Resolution and UN Security Council 1441
were part of enforcing international law against a dictator and country that
had engaged in a serious war crime.
There are literally hundreds of media articles backing up
what I am saying here. Practically all you heard from June 2002 until December
of 2003 in the media were articles and TV segments about efforts to force Iraq and
Saddam Hussein to readmit the UN Weapons Inspectors.
Shortly after the Iraq War Resolution and UN Security
Council 1441 were passed, Iraq did just that under the pressure of both of
those measures. Iraq agreed to start obeying international law. Being that this
is the case, I am alternatively amused and galled by the efforts of some to
demagogue the vote on the Iraq War Resolution. It accomplished what it was
designed to do.
That President George W. Bush misused the Iraq War
Resolution several months later and invaded Iraq without justification for
doing so doesn’t make the IWR vote bad, it makes George W. Bush a criminal. Congress cannot be afraid to act to support the effort to have countries obey international law because of concerns the President might do something bad one day. The President alone is responsible for Presidential bad acts.
I’d love to hear Hillary Clinton respond to any question
about her vote by asking Bernie Sanders, why didn’t you vote to put pressure on
Iraq to start obeying international law as it had agreed to do at the end of
the first gulf war. What would Sanders have been willing to do to uphold
international law in this situation?
Let's turn this around a bit to make this even more clear. If the Iraq War Resolution vote was never held, or had it failed, Iraq would not have allowed weapons inspectors back into the country. That alone would have been justification for war per existing UN Resolutions. The ceasefire terms of the various 1991 UN Resolutions would have been violated by Iraq and thus the ceasefire would no longer exist.
My previous articles on the subject that I mentioned
earlier are linked below and provide additional background. It’s time for folks
to stop engaging in revisionist history on this subject, and that includes Bernie Sanders and his surrogates.
12-19-2006: Iraq War - When the Wrong Path Was Taken and
What to Do Now http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_061219_iraq_war__96_when_the_.htm
3-4-2009: Iraq War - Six Year Anniversary of what Should
have Prevented it http://www.opednews.com/articles/Iraq-War--Six-Year-Annive-by-Steven-Leser-090304-145.html
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