Posted on 06/22/2014 7:23:32 PM PDT by kingattax
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., offered some bipartisan backup to President Obama on the subject of Iraq Sunday, saying many critics who blame the president for the ferocious Islamist insurgency there, like former Vice President Dick Cheney, should take a look in the mirror.
"I don't blame President Obama," Paul told NBC News. "Has he really got the solution? Maybe there is no solution."
Paul said those who have questioned the president's approach to the recent surge in violence should ask the same questions of those who supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq: "Were they right in their predictions? Were there weapons of mass destruction there? Was the war won in 2005, when many of those people said it was won?"
"They didn't, really, I think understand the civil war that would break out," Paul said.
Cheney and other conservative hawks have been relentless in their criticism of the president in recent days, saying Mr. Obama invited the chaos in Iraq by withdrawing all of America's troops in 2011 and that he's failing to stop it now by dithering and dissembling in his public response.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
So, if POSOTUS is blameless, why is he trying to rectify a situation that is directly related to his prior rhetoric and to his recent actions in Iraq? AFP. The federal reserve note stops at POSOTUS’s desk.
Grandstanding Rand?
This is out of the McCain playbook.
Say nasty things about other republicans so that the MSM will give you airtime.
What a fool.
Rand Paul is a POS. It is time for all to realize that. He is over his head now, and will never be presidential material.
He is listening to Glenn Beck way too much.
Quotes From Dems on WMD’s
"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
"We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry ( D - MA), and others Oct. 9, 1998
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." - Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of an ilicit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." - Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." - Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." - Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do." - Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapon stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." < BR>- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
Bipartisan ? I don’t think so .
Rand is a blooming idiot
This is definitely a dumb comment on Rand Paul’s part. First, Obama has had the presidency for 6 years. It’s not as if he’s stood by helplessly watching the aftermath of Iraq because he had no input. In fact, Obama did have input and he did make decisions that had an impact on the ground in Iraq. So, whatever else Paul might believe, he should recognize that there is a least some shared responsibility for the outcome in Iraq.
Second, Dick Cheney was Vice President. He might have been counselor to a president, but the name on the dotted line was George Bush. What that means with this Rand Paul soundbite is that Paul was appealing to the old smear that Bush was a figurehead president. I think that’s wrong. Why? Because Cheney is combative and more than willing to talk and defend his policies. The White House in the Bush years was quiet in its own defense. It was crickets. It is Bush who believed in living above the fray, not Cheney. So, the very tone of the White House suggest Bush control and not Cheney control.
Third, Paul is calling into question the entire Iraq mission with this comment. I think there’s more than sufficient reason to believe that Saddam aided, abetted, provided comfort, and or support to those who had sided with al Qaeda.
There were, and are, WMDs in Iraq, and the Obama-funded ISIS just seized control of them.
Obama and his handlers and his sycophants are responsible for the muslim terrorist uprisings all across the middle east and Africa, from Tunisia to Iran to Kenya to Nigeria.
Nice job
Good post.
Rand is further evidence of the old ‘apple-tree’ lunacy propagation adage.
“Don’t confuse conservatives and libertarians.
Libertarians are out to defeat conservatism.
Rand Paul is trying to appeal to his libertarian base.”
AMEN!
Thanks for the assist.
Well, it’s both their fault. Bush/Cheney took us into that nightmare under false pretenses and ODimwit made it worse. But Rand ... good grief WHAT are you?
New word: Randstanding!
Bingo. We have a winner. If either Bush/Cheney or Obama had made the right moves, Iraq would not be crumbling as it is now.
would you please elaborate on what exactly those "false pretenses" were ?
Go grab some more of that good Kentucky whiskey and leave us alone Rand.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.