Posted on 02/18/2016 6:48:37 PM PST by Citizen Zed
For months, Donald Trump has claimed that he opposed the Iraq War before the invasion began -- as an example of his great judgment on foreign policy issues.
But in a 2002 interview with Howard Stern, Donald Trump said he supported an Iraq invasion.
In the interview, which took place on Sept. 11, 2002, Stern asked Trump directly if he was for invading Iraq.
"Yeah I guess so," Trump responded. "I wish the first time it was done correctly."
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he was against the Iraq War before it began, despite no evidence of him publicly stating this position. On Meet the Press, Trump said there weren't many articles about his opposition because he wasn't a politician at the time.
"Well, I did it in 2003, I said it before that," Trump said of his opposition to invading Iraq. "Don't forget, I wasn't a politician. So people didn't write everything I said. I was a businessperson. I was, as they say, world-class businessperson. I built a great company, I employed thousands of people. So I'm not a politician. But if you look at 2003, there are articles. If you look the 2004, there are articles."
Trump's comments on Stern are more in line with what he wrote in his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, where he advocated for a "principled and tough" policy toward "outlaw" states like Iraq.
"We still don't know what Iraq is up to or whether it has the material to build nuclear weapons. I'm no warmonger," Trump wrote. "But the fact is, if we decide a strike against Iraq is necessary, it is madness not to carry the mission to its conclusion. When we don't, we have the worst of all worlds: Iraq remains a threat, and now has more incentive than ever to attack us."
“But the fact is, if we decide a strike against Iraq is necessary, it is madness not to carry the mission to its conclusion.”
Trump nailed it.
After Powell's presentation I thought, 'fine, just get it over with it'll be quick like Rumsfeld says'.
He said, “yeah, I guess so.” That isn’t a definite yes. We were all told by our president that this war was necessary because of WMDs. Even the Democrats bought into it. So, this is a nothing burger.
No, but it's clear that Donald Trump did.
I’ve always wondered what America would have thought of W at that time if he turned the other cheek. Would Trump have called him a P*ssy?
Nothing burger.
Ummm nothing burger to his cult...but he did lie
I take it that you've never read the Authorization for the Use of Force in Iraq
The Trumpets did read it, but their brain interprets the meaning different than other people.
I thought of converting it to audio, but realized soon after Saturday that won’t work either.
Yea it was a roaring success wasn’t it? Thousands of dead or maimed soldiers and Iraq is now in shambles. Even if Obama caused Iraq to collapse, Bush should have realized that it was a long-term engagement and could not guarantee that his successor would have continued. Trump was absolutely right in saying that it was a disaster and we should have never went there. I could care less if he said it 10 years ago or yesterday. Only a fool would still say, in retrospect, that going in there was worth it.
“But the fact is, if we decide a strike against Iraq is necessary, it is madness not to carry the mission to its conclusion†Trump nailed it.
No he didn’t We hadn’t invaded yet.. Not till 2003 so Drumph was for the war before he was against it.. Who did I hear that about? Oh I know John Kerry and Hillary!! So Drumph is with them...
Public opinion polls and congress overwhelmingly supported action. If W didn’t go to war, he would have been vilified
I support Trump's candidacy.
Are you saying that therefore, that it follows, that I am a cult follower?
Now many rubes on the right are lying about Iraq just like the Democrats did starting in 2003. We’re in a sad state of affairs in America where facts no longer matter. Just mob rule.
I believe the Demicrats undermined Iraq intentionally. They needed something to run on and against.
Is there any issue, Trump hasn’t been or isn’t currently on all sides of?
Any?
>>”Even if Obama caused Iraq to collapse..”
Well, yeah, there is that.
But Trump is more Obama than Obama. He’s Michael Moore and Rosie McDonald and Cindy Sheehan.
So I guess Trump helped get us into Iraq....
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