Democrats Denounce Rice Over War in Iraq

washingtonpost.com ^ | Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | Charles Babington

[crushelits]

Senate Confirmation Is Expected Today Senate Democrats delivered one of the sharpest critiques yet of the Bush administration's credibility and its handlingof the Iraq war yesterday, as the Senate prepared to confirm Condoleezza Rice's nomination to be secretary of state today. Seizing on a nine-hour debate that Republicans had hoped to avoid, several Democrats excoriated the administration's prewar claims about Iraqi weapons and its handling of the ongoing war and transition. Both parties agreed that Rice, 50, will be confirmed, but that did not stop a cross section of Democrats from questioning her truthfulness in terms that until yesterday were used only by liberal Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Some of the most critical Democrats were centrists from states that President Bush won or nearly won in November. Their comments came as recent polls have shown growing public disenchantment with the situation in Iraq. Too many Republican senators allow Bush's top aides "to get away with lying," said Sen. Mark Dayton, a Democrat who opposed the war and will face reelection next year in the swing state of Minnesota. "Lying to Congress, lying to our committees and lying to the American people. It's wrong, it's immoral." The only way to stop it, Dayton said, is to keep the administration from promoting officials "who have been instrumental in deceiving Congress and the American people, and regrettably that includes Dr. Rice."

[MJY1288]

These very same Democrats would be denouncing this war if there were no casualties and Iraq adopted our Constitution from the first word until the last, and the "Worlds Fair" was being held in Baghdad this July

As Rush said yesterday....."It must suck to wake up a Liberal everyday"

[jveritas]

Democrats Denounce Rice Over War in Iraq

But at the end Condi Rice was confirmed as Secretary of State and the Democrats were defeated, again.

[BerniesFriend]

The smartest delegate answers for the dems...

[Retired Chemist]

Looks like it was a fund raising effort! Drudge is reporting that Boxer launched a fundraising effort citing her opposition to Condi Rice.

[Shortwave]

What do you expect?

[Republican Wildcat]

What was the final vote break down of this?

[speedy]

I'm sure the Dems words give heart to the terrorists killing our troops and innocent Iraqis. It would be refreshing to see some GOP elected officials pointing that out. Plus, I really do think it would be politically smart for the GOP to keep alluding to a Dem-Terrorist alliance.

[speedy]

Hey, I'd know that face anywhere.

[Shermy]

"Sen. Carl M. Levin (Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee and a critic of the war, said Rice "clearly overstated and exaggerated the intelligence concerning Iraq before the war in order to support the president's decision to initiate military action against Iraq."

That same intelligence that led him to vote for the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 no doubt.

"Since the Iraq effort has run into great difficulty, she has also attempted to revise history as to why we went into Iraq."

I have never heard her revise the "why." There were many reasons.

[Brimack34]

Hey Dayton you idiot do me a favor and go back and hide under your desk. Condi has more guts then you will ever have you Coward. You lied when you were sworn in.

[blackbart.223]

The sad thing is most of our fellow citizens don't know Byrd was in The Ku Klux Klan.

[crushelits]

Not vote yet, but bark! bark! bark, skerry, teddy the fatso and some others will vote against 2morrow.

And they, whoever votes against her should be denounced as unpatriotic!

[jveritas]

She will be confirmed tomorrow.

[Republican Wildcat]

oh, okay...I had the impression from a previous post that they had already voted.

[easonc52]

She will be confirmed tomorrow.

I (and believe) that's the result.

This was just grandstanding, fundraising (attempt), etc.

AND, the opportunity of looking like s

[Seaplaner]

Todays WSJ editorial page had an interesting item. "Senators Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin and others were taking orders from liberal interest groups, even to the point of delaying a vote on a candidate for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals..."

So I just have to wonder whether Kennedy, Boxer, and their ilk might just be obediently feigning indignance while burying the proceedings with bushels of red herring in order to please whoever might be surreptitiously calling the shots.

Dunno who this could be, but I do think that the Senate was a more cordial place before Hillary Rodham moved in.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

Shouldn't the title be
" Democrats denounce apple pie, motherhood, the flag,
the troops, puppies, kittens, the Boy Scouts,
the military, America, prayer, God,
patriotism, decency, morals, sunrise, sunset,
the Fourth of July, Easter, Christmas, Santa Claus ,
teddy bears, lullabies, stay at home Moms,
home schools, families, marching bands,
football mascots,integrity,morals, spirit, entrepreneurship,
self motivation, good grades, literacy,
hymns, the Bible,
smiling and cheerfulness."
Feel free to add.

[oceanview]

Evan Bayh was also trashing Condi.

The saddest part of this was that the most eloquent support for her in the clips I heard - came from Joe Lieberman. For whatever reason, our side seems unable or unwilling to gather the courage or craft the message to take to the Senate floor and trash these SOBs attacking Condi.

[Soul Seeker]

John Warner gave an eloquent rebuttal.

Numerous other Rep Senators backed him up.