Posted on 09/11/2004 6:44:00 PM PDT by lionstar
A visibly emotional U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, who two years ago described a potential invasion of Iraq as being in the "interest of America and all freedom-loving people everywhere," Friday told a Northern Kentucky audience that his vote to authorize that war was the one he most regretted during his three terms in Congress.
"I supported my commander-in-chief as president because there were supposed to be weapons of mass destruction," the Richwood Democrat, who is not seeking re-election, told about 80 politicians and businessmen at Covington's Metropolitan Club.
"But I have to tell you from all the stuff that we've gotten I really feel like I was misled," Lucas said, responding to a question during the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's monthly Government Forum.
"I think people had good intentions but I feel very badly about that. Particularly with -- 1,000 young men and women who have died, and thousands who have lost body parts. I don't feel good about that," he said, trailing off as his audience listened silently.
For Lucas, a conservative Democrat who has supported many of President Bush's key policies, Friday's remarks were a stark departure from his stance in the fall of 2002, during the build-up to America's March 2003 invasion.
In September 2002, a month before voting to give Bush authority to use military force against Iraq, Lucas said he found the president's speech that month to the United Nations outlining the case for international action to topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein persuasive. A regime change in Iraq, "by military means if necessary -- is in the vital national interest of America and all freedom-loving people everywhere," Lucas said at the time.
The following month, after siding with the rest of the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati congressional delegation in supporting the war resolution, Lucas -- a former Air Force pilot who also served in the Air National Guard -- stressed that the United States could not wait for Saddam or one of his allies to perhaps strike first.
"We cannot let another horrific event like Sept. 11 happen again while we stand idly by," Lucas said in October 2002.
Two years later -- and more significantly, 1,000 American lives and $200 billion later -- Lucas admitted Friday that he now assesses the situation far differently.
The war, Lucas told Friday's luncheon, has done more harm than good and undermined domestic priorities.
"I don't think we're better off than we were. I think we've incited a lot of people," he said. "We've spent about $200 billion in Iraq and when you think of what we could have done with that here in this country, hardening our defenses, giving our front-line defenders what they need, going after al Qaida. With $200 billion you could do a lot."
Some in Friday's audience, like Paul Hemmer Companies executive Kathy Groob, were touched by Lucas's comments.
"When Ken spoke today, he told us the way he sees things with the benefit of hindsight," said Groob, a Fort Mitchell Council member and candidate for state Senate.
"When he spoke about the war, he gave us his honest opinion and showed his obvious regret for the vote he made. His emotional account of that vote is obviously one that haunts him and he brought the human side of war in the room with him today."
Lucas, who was elected to Congress in 1998, is a former Florence City Council member, Boone County commissioner and Boone County judge-executive. Democrat Nick Clooney, from Augusta, and Republican Geoff Davis, of Hebron, are running for Lucas's 4th Congressional District seat.
In addition to the war, Lucas, a member of the conservative "Blue Dog Coalition" in Congress, also lamented the latest Congressional Budget Office figures showing that the federal deficit will
reach a record $422 billion this year.
"The people who are going to be paying this debt, which we call a 'debt tax' are going to be our kids and grandkids," Lucas said.
Lucas also criticized the way business occurs in Washington, saying partisan politics is poisoning the political process. "It really sickens me that it's been that way, and I'd like to say its getting better, but I think it's getting worse," he said. Even so, Lucas added: "We have the best system in the world, but it could be better."
I agree. Senator Jar-Jar Binks should never have proposed the legislation to create a Grand Army of the Republic. He just played right into the Chancellor's hands.
All you Kentuckians need to vote this noodle-spined SOB out of office. The home of the 101st Airmobile and the 160th SOAR Nightstalkers deserves real leadership - not some bleeding heart fairy who will lie to get reelected.
He's a candyassed sissy and he doesn't have the courage of his convictions.
So he lied to his constituency and now that he's no longer seeking office, he publicly admits that he's yellow.
Ken Lucas was astute enough to realize that Bush would carry his district by a greased landslide, and decided not to run for a fouth term. Lucas only won this seat in 1998 when the Republicans got too far ahead of the district and ran a libertarian Christian ultra conservative to replace Bunning who went to the Senate that year. He has been forced to be the most conservative Rat in congress by his electorate, but he is and was always just a rat. George Clooneys pater Nick is seeking to keep the seat for the rats. Not a snow balls chance.
Damn! So you are him! Thank You , Thank You, Thank You! I hope you are feeling OK, You should be very proud. You really have a lot guts, and my admiration.
He's not running again. He handpicked Nick Clooney, father of George Clooney, to run in his place.
Huh!
Just wait when we attack Iran (which is three times bigger) and spend extra $600 billion in one year.
If the Dem and Republican roles were reversed in this situation, FReepers would be crying bloody murder.
Can't wait. Bet the 'reasoning' behind it will be a doozy. But first the US government has to find someone in Iran they can pay half a million a year (price increase on market demand) to lie to us.
"The people who are going to be paying this debt, which we call a 'debt tax' are going to be our kids and grandkids," Lucas said.
Well let's start chopping. Healthcare boondoggles or whatever Republicans are patting themselves on the back for and massive wastes of money on education (i.e. Every Child Left in Government Schools, national testing schemes, Dept of Education, etc) are a couple that need to go right now. Less government, less we can go in debt
I prefer Bush to be president, because I think that Kerry would make the same errors but worse. I suspect that Kerry has Wilsonian/Clintonian/Kennedy streak and would create more Vietnams, draft and who knows what.
Bush has neocons around him, but Kerry has guys like Holbrook or Robert Cottrell who wrote article: Frozen Conflicts: Time to Challenge Russia
Invading Iraq can damage USA, invading Iran can bankrupt it, but unfreezing conflicts on Russia's borders is a pure madness worthy of Dr. Strangelove.
Sure, what about privatizing highways, army and police?
Owners can charge for road use, army and police can provide services at a fee!
BTTT
There are more than a few 'law enforcement' organizations that could be on the chopping block as well, to begin with the ATF
A top Republican congressman has broken from his party in the final days of his House career, saying he believes the U.S. military assault on Iraq (news - web sites) was unjustified and the situation there has deteriorated into "a dangerous, costly mess."
...
He is stepping down after 13 terms to become the president of the Asia Foundation effective Sept. 1.
TRANSLATION: He has lined up a cushy job as chief lobbyist for a bunch of foreign nations -- including several communist ones (China, Vietnam, etc.) -- and is starting to spout the party line to please his new bosses.
I thought there were laws against such blatant "double-dipping" WRT U.S. gov't employees representing foreign nations...
10 posted on 08/18/2004 11:46:58 AM CDT by TXnMA (Anybody got a rope?)
That about sums it up.
Reinforcing your point, reliable reports have it that Kerry was a nutso while commanding that boat in Nam...grounding it, running off shooting everything in sight (all against SOP, of course.)
Not the guy you want with a nukes button under his index finger...
A freind's son was in the 1st Marines as they went into Baghdad (first group in there, you recall.) One of his Marine buddies got it at the bridge and died in the son's arms. Then he was just a little too close to an RPG which made him permanently 50% hearing-impaired.
He's out of the service; the hearing did not return.
Now he's beginning to wonder just exactly what that was good for. Even George Weigel admits that the "reasoning backward" done by Limbaugh is, ah, flawed...'well, we saved 25 million from their dictator...even if we found no weapons and can't seem to find any weapons and maybe there were really no weapons and that damned Mossad lied...'
Yeah.
If he is so intent that money stay in this country to be used on domestic policy, perhaps he should suggest that we get the heck out of the UN, quit giving money for AIDS to third world countries, remove the troops from the rest of the world etc.
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