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Donald Trump confronted with past support for Iraq war
The Guardian ^ | February 18, 2016 | Sabrina Siddiqui in Columbia, South Carolina and Ben Jacobs in Charleston

Posted on 02/19/2016 12:16:11 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

Donald Trump, who has made his opposition to the Iraq invasion one of the bedrocks of his campaign, was left scrambling during a CNN town hall when confronted with a newly uncovered interview in which he supported the conflict.

The interview, reported by Buzzfeed, was from 2002 when the real estate mogul sat down with radio shock jock Howard Stern and was directly asked whether he advocated invading Saddam Hussein's country.

Trump replied: "Yeah I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly."

Asked by CNN moderator Anderson Cooper about the statement, the Republican frontrunner simply responded:"I could have said that."

Trump then insisted that his past support for the war did not matter because "by the time the war started I was against it".

His comments came during the second of a two-part town hall in Columbia featuring the remaining candidates in the Republican field. Ohio governor John Kasich and former Florida governor Jeb Bush preceded Trump in Thursday night's instalment, whereas Ben Carson and Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz participated the prior evening.

Trump stumbled when asked if he thought George W Bush had deliberately lied to the country about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction. Both a voter and Cooper repeatedly asked him if he stood by his comments in the last Republican presidential debate when he insisted that was the case.

"They said there were weapons of mass destruction, there were none. And they knew there were none," Trump said in the debate, held in Charleston on Saturday.

During Thursday's town hall, just five days later, he backtracked, saying:"There are a lot of people that think that. Bottom line is there were no weapons of mass destruction."

Pressed further, Trump said of Bush, "I don't know what he did". Trump added that he would have to "look at some documents."

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: gopprimary; iraq; southcarolina; trump
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

The author fails to note this “I guess” statement was made on the first anniversary of 9/11 weeks before the Iraq Resolution was introduced to Congress on October 2, 2002. Before any Congessional deliberations. 6 months before the invasion. Trump offered short but lengthier comments in January 2003 showing skepticism that the invasion would be a good idea and suggested Bush focus on the economy instead.


61 posted on 02/19/2016 1:40:30 AM PST by ironman
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To: ironman

I expect that he did.

Trump has always involved himself in politics.

There are Trump quotes out there covering all sides of every issue.


62 posted on 02/19/2016 1:43:06 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: elhombrelibre

The problem with Trump is that he might not do what he is saying now. The problem with say Rubio and to some extent Cruz (VAT Business Tax) is that they might do what they are saying now.


63 posted on 02/19/2016 1:47:40 AM PST by Fai Mao (Just a tropical gardiner chatting with friends)
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To: DoughtyOne

And so you support liberals,

Dang, that’s got to hurt.


64 posted on 02/19/2016 1:59:50 AM PST by BeadCounter (,)
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To: pilgrim

“When will he threaten to sue????”

The Donald is not going to sue, he is kind of like the guy that call wolf to many times!


65 posted on 02/19/2016 2:19:02 AM PST by longhorn too
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To: patriot08

The worst thing is his supporting the war then turning against it as soon as our troops got there, what a hippo. Then he raises money for the vets , and that should be audited


66 posted on 02/19/2016 2:20:50 AM PST by RightLady (It's gotta be Cruz)
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To: Fai Mao

https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan_summary/

https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan/


67 posted on 02/19/2016 2:24:47 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan_summary/

https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan/";

I’ve read the plan ma’am. It is the reason I can no longer support Cruz

His business tax is a VAT tax by another name. The demodogs would happily pass the Cruz plan then jack the VAT up as well as the personal rates as soon as they could. They’ve been salivating for a VAT for years. The is a recipe for a tax and spend government. It is a horrific tax in that that raises the cost of good by a huge amount but is completely invisible. It would take money from the poor which would, after the bureaucracy’s cut be redistributed to buy votes.

If you want a permanently stagnant economy like the UK then vote for the Cruz tax plan.


68 posted on 02/19/2016 2:36:36 AM PST by Fai Mao (Just a tropical gardiner chatting with friends)
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To: DoughtyOne
And your Fuhrer is losing to Bernie Sanders the communist by 15 points.
69 posted on 02/19/2016 2:43:12 AM PST by SmokingJoe
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To: Fai Mao

I posted the links so others can read and judge what it means/says for themselves.

Their mileage may vary from yours.

https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan_summary/

https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan/


70 posted on 02/19/2016 2:45:08 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: gunsequalfreedom

Trump just trashed George Bush for starting the Gulf War, while all along he was one fob he people who backed the Gulf War in the first place.


71 posted on 02/19/2016 2:46:53 AM PST by SmokingJoe
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To: Bidimus1

Not much of an argument if you’re saying Trump is unintelligent. He’s running the table, the Pope is the latest to fall.


72 posted on 02/19/2016 3:16:16 AM PST by toddausauras (Trump/Cruz 2016)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Tag line.


73 posted on 02/19/2016 3:31:55 AM PST by BobL (Who cares? He's going to build a wall and stop this invasion.)
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To: ironman
"The author fails to note this “I guess” statement was made on the first anniversary of 9/11 weeks before the Iraq Resolution was introduced to Congress on October 2, 2002. Before any Congessional deliberations. 6 months before the invasion. Trump offered short but lengthier comments in January 2003 showing skepticism that the invasion would be a good idea and suggested Bush focus on the economy instead."

Thank God you finally found them, I have been looking all over for them!

Yes, that's right, the 53 exemplars in writing that Donald Trump said were articles quoting his opposition to the invasion but which he must've personally misplaced because he cannot seem to find them.

Thank God you found them, why don't you post the links?


74 posted on 02/19/2016 3:37:35 AM PST by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"They said there were weapons of mass destruction, there were none. And they knew there were none," Trump said in the debate, held in Charleston on Saturday.

During Thursday's town hall, just five days later, he backtracked, saying:"There are a lot of people that think that. Bottom line is there were no weapons of mass destruction."

Take your pick Trumpsters and Trumpettes. Was Trump lying about George Bush at the debate or five days later? I'm betting it was at the debate but I could be wrong. It could have been yesterday.

75 posted on 02/19/2016 3:56:53 AM PST by InterceptPoint
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

A free election somehow in your mind equates to a Roman legionare crucifying Jesus?

Say what? Yikes...


76 posted on 02/19/2016 3:56:57 AM PST by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality.


77 posted on 02/19/2016 4:01:02 AM PST by RavenLooneyToon (Trump or Cruz, if you don't vote then STFU and leave the country, non-voters =non-Republic.)
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To: LowOiL

Somehow it makes sense to you that a man who can’t get 20% of his own party’s votes, can beat a man that can get 35% of his own party’s vote.

That doesn’t make sense to me.


78 posted on 02/19/2016 4:02:40 AM PST by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: longhorn too

There was a time when many people felt the same way about Reagan.


79 posted on 02/19/2016 4:05:13 AM PST by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: DoughtyOne
And he’s beating your flunkie two to one.

Trump is polling about a third of the Republican vote. He remains a plurality candidate, not a majority candidate, in the GOP, with the highest negatives in the field. And every time he opens his mouth, he increases the number of people who will say home or cast a protest vote in the general election. You may trust him to do what he says today, which is not what he said yesterday or is likely to say tomorrow, but that is like investing your money with Bernie Madoff after the ponzi scheme was exposed.

80 posted on 02/19/2016 4:06:12 AM PST by sphinx
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