What is ground truth? As a conservative I was to know the facts.
We don’t care.
Sorry to inform you, but as a conservative you're no longer to know the facts. You were to know them, but no longer.
What’s the difference, he was a private citizen at the time and not privvy to the information the politicians had (like Senator Hillary Clinton) and the politicians voted for the war.
WTF cares?
Since Trump was not in any federal government position and had no responsibility nor decision making on commitment of manpower or money, why does it matter ?
Hey it’s a Hillary correct the record paid shill. Bugger off.
As a private citizen, there were probably times he supported it, and other times he didn’t. Just like me....
The fact is that Trump in 2002 BEFORE the invasion of Iraq was on the Howard Stern show.
Stern asked him if he supported invading Iraq.
Trump replied: “I guess so.” Then he said that if they’d done the first Iraq campaign correctly, this wouldn’t be happening.
“I guess so” is the response of someone who hasn’t yet fully made up their mind. Something is bothering them about saying “Yes”, so they say “I guess so.”
Since there is no other record of Trump’s opinions before or during the invasion, all we have is a glimpse of a hesitant Trump PRIOR to the invasion.
Since he WAS in opposition with a year and a half, it is only fair to acknowledge that he finally made up his mind before the invasion was launched and that he came down against it.
He cannot be said to be in support, so at best to say that the only record we have appears to have him still making up his mind.
Doesn’t an aye vote on the congressional record have more weight than a throw away line on a shock jock’s show?
What difference would it make anyway? He wasn’t a policy maker and certainly didn’t have much access to highly classified intelligence. In the end he was a grunt like us.
He said all throughout the primaries that he opposed it, and Jeb Bush was pissed as Hell about it. There is an article from the time - the Atlantic? - that he claims reported on his opposition (I have not seen this article as I didn’t care enough). He has said all along that once we were in the war we should have ensured total victory.
He is addressing it now on Fox News.
Clearly, he was against it from the git-go.
I specifically remember Mr. Trump being asked on the street about the war and he loudly condemned it and President Bush. I remember how angry I was at him and hated his guts for it. He definitely was against the war back then.
What Trump said to Stern wasn’t much of an endorsement for Iraq war in 2003. Like yeah sure. Uncommitted.
He is talking about it right now as I type - with specific dates, quotes & sources that he opposed the war.
1) In 2003, he was a private citizen no where near politics, the information used to make a decision to go to war and did not have a dog in the hunt
2) In 2004 when he was on the Howard Stern show, he had half-hearted support saying, “I guess so”. Again, he was a private citizen, not running for office, not a politician, and not privy to the info/intel the politicos were
3) It’s Howard Stern...what difference at this point, does it make? /s
4)I’m sure you (I know I have) may have changed your mind when faced with circumstances and more information than originally had and in a much more controlled environment without the consequences they faced.
Even I supported the Iraq war, and now see the utter folly of starting it. Trump was quicker than all other prominent politicians to recognize stupidity of Iraq war. It is meaningless if he was for Iraq war initially. Almost Every one was for invading Iraq because of the publicity in the Media about Saddam Hussein. Barack Hussein compounded folly of Bush-43’s Iraq war with premature withdrawal.
Freep-A-Poll: "Who won the Commander-in-Chief Forum"
September 8, 2016 at 9:04:16 AM EDT · 46 of 51xzins to Albion Wilde; kabar; P-Marlowe; Jim Robinson
On the issue of Trump's rejection of the Iraq War:Stern: "Are you for invading Iraq?"
Trump: "Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly."
NOTICE that Stern says invadING. In other words, it had NOT happened YET.
This is PRIOR to the war being launched, and Trump clearly does not give a solid "yes" answer. He gives an equivocating answer "I guess so." And THEN he offers a complaint. This is NOT a man in support of launching that war.
It is entirely likely that he solidified these anti-war sentiments prior to the launch of the war. Later, he clearly was opposed in 2004.
Also note that he clearly was not a politician but was a private citizen. No one was inquiring daily of his opinion, nor was he casting votes.
Let me note that I was clearly in favor of taking out Saddam Hussein at the time. I still believe that he had a robust WMD program that could retool in an instant.
Yet, I opposed the nation rebuilding part early on. I wanted Saddam dead, Iraq's chemical capabilities destroyed, and any found chemicals destroyed. (They still haven't done that.)
At that point, we should have left their nation to them and warned them of similar future consequences for the same thing.
46 posted on September 8, 2016 at 9:04:16 AM EDT by xzins ( Free Republic Gives YOU a voice heard around the globe. Support the Freepathon!)
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He definitely was for pulling out and didn’t support the post-war. All they have shown is him saying “Yeah, I guess so,” to Howard Stern who was a big supporter of the war. Trump also may not have wanted to debate it, since it was the anniversary of 9/11.