Posted on 09/30/2016 9:49:27 AM PDT by Rockitz
Question: Did Donald Trump oppose or support the Iraq War?
Before answering, a quick note on why providing clarity around a relatively simple question: It's rare that cooler heads can prevail in this media world we live in. Lines in the sand have never been drawn between blue and red media as vividly as they are now. And as a result, simple logic and lucidity is supplied less and less to drawing a verdict on whether a story is true or not.
Exhibit A today is the aforementioned question: Did Trump — as he insists — oppose the Iraq War?
At first, given that Trump wasn't a politician in 2002 and therefore had no official vote on the war authorization (as is the case with Hillary Clinton's support of it), the press simply took him at his word on the matter with no evidence readily available to provide otherwise.
Except there was evidence, albeit flimsy at best, thanks to the dogged work of Buzzfeed's Andrew Kaczynski and Nathan McDermott in unearthing a 2002 interview Trump did with Howard Stern.
Here's what Trump said when asked by Stern during a typically long interview (Howard can go more than an hour without taking a break) if he was for going into Iraq.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Trump responded. “I wish the first time it was done correctly.”
So to review, Trump, a businessman at that time, didn't broach the topic. There are no other public statements by him on the matter in 2002.
"Yeah, I guess so" isn't what one would call someone absolutely advocating the invasion of another country.
Instead, a reasonable person listening could only conclude that Trump probably hadn't given the matter even a passing thought and answered matter-of-factly.
...
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Had AA General Colin Powell not talked Bush 41 into not finishing off Saddam in 1991, we would have never gone back.
Look at the minute, exacting detail the MSM is capable of going into with Donald Trump, and things he said and did decades ago.
All they have is a single quote from the Howard Stern show where Trump kinda/sorta agrees with the war. Every other time he was asked he was either neutral or opposed. I’d say the balance of evidence points to opposition rather than support.
It’s True.
Neil Cavuto Just Busted MSM – Plays 2003 Interview with Trump Against Iraq War
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/09/boom-neil-cavuto-just-busted-msm-plays-2003-interview-with-trump-against-iraq-war-video/
What does it matter? He was a private citizen with no vote on the matter.
Hillary voted for the war.
I was kind of half and half on going into Iraq. I thought we were attacking the wrong country.
Saudi Arabia was far more culpable than Iraq for 9/11.
I also saw good reason to take out Saddam, he had violated the Gulf War cease fire repeatedly. He was hosting terrorists in the country.
We should not have tried nation building. We should have installed a friendly to us dictator. Authoritarian government is what keeps the jihadis at bay in that part of the world.
All they have is a single quote from the Howard Stern show where Trump kinda/sorta agrees with the war. Every other time he was asked he was either neutral or opposed. I’d say the balance of evidence points to opposition rather than support.
The Clinton Campaign media wing take any item, no matter how small, and explode it into the narrative they are pushing.
“I wish the first time it was done correctly.”
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Me, too. We had the men and machines in place to take down Saddam and occupy the country correctly in 1991. Instead, we ended the war prematurely and left Saddam in place to savage the Kurds and Shiites who we had encouraged to rise up against him. That only generated more ill will that haunted us on our return.
Let’s return to the real issues. I only want to hear about Hillary’s crimes that were “above the law” because of that weasel COMEY and Tarmac Lynch!!!! and Her constant lying ( BENGHAZI!!) !! I want to hear how she attacked the women who were sexually assaulted by her rapist lying, impeached husband. I want to hear about her bad health ( where is she? napping?). Trump on Iraq is a diversion!!!Who cares?
During that 2003 interview with Howard Stern, we had troops flowing into the region. So Trump halfheartedly said he supported the operation... WTH do these damned libs think he was supposed to say — “I am vehemently against this war, troop morale be damned?”
Because we probably wouldn’t have left.
WHO GIVES A FLYING F***!
Where are the fact checkers on “Tax cuts caused the financial crises of 2008”?
That’s using outdated definitions of “false” and “true”. Lefties have redefined these words, just like “racism”, “sexism”, “bigot”, “freedom”, “discussion” and so many others.
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