GOP senator hits Bush for attacking war critics; Hints Congress endorsing another Vietnam by staying

GOP senator hits Bush for attacking war critics; Hints Congress endorsing another Vietnam by staying silent

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), a Vietnam veteran and critic of Bush policy on Iraq, excoriated the Administration Tuesday in a speech to Council on Foreign Relations Tuesday, RAW STORY has learned.

Hagel blasted the Administration for going after Iraq war critics and turning the war into a political cause.

"The Iraq war should not be debated in the United States on a partisan political platform," the Nebraska senator remarked. "This debases our country, trivializes the seriousness of war and cheapens the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. War is not a Republican or Democrat issue. The casualties of war are from both parties. The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge or criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democracy nor what this country has stood for, for over 200 years. The Democrats have an obligation to challenge in a serious and responsible manner, offering solutions and alternatives to the Administration’s policies."

More...

It's nice to know that some members of Congress still remember what America was supposed to be about.

Why aren't there more of these guys?

"The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge or criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democracy nor what this country has stood for, for over 200 years."

Nice find loam.

Of course the current position in many quarters is that the USA is NOT a democracy, never was, and never was intended to be.

Hard to defend democracy and its principles if it doesn't exist.


.

Originally posted by loam
It's nice to know that some members of Congress still remember what America was supposed to be about.

Why aren't there more of these guys?

We don't need anymore Chuck Hagels, as it is the very persona of Chucky that put us in this mess.

You see, Chuck was the Chairman of ES&S, a company, along with Diebold, that counts 80% of the votes in this country, with ZERO agencies in an oversight authority.
Old Chuck got to be Senator Chuck straight out of the Chairmanship, for a strongly Democratic seat, filled by Dems for a long long period, after his company was awarded the Nebraska Vote Tabulation contract.
He "taught" the GOP the "system", ES&S swelled to 60% of the country's vote tabulations, was put on the very short list of VP's for Bushy, and only outmanuevered by DIck Dick Cheney at the last moment to get it.

My guess.....Old Chuck's up for re-election in 2006, no?

Well, way to go Mr. Hagel. You did the Democratic spin machine's job for them. You know, if Bush were saying that by criticizing the administration's actions you were being unpatriotic, I would totally support Hagel's position. Our country is a democracy based on free speach; to say that not voicing ones opinion is patriotism would be the exact opposite.

But wait, that's not what Bush said! Hagel skewed Bush's words in order to make the news or something, I dunno. What, exactly, did Bush say to upset Hagel so much?

[uqote]While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.

I dunno, maybe Hagel doesn't like revisionist history being called irresponsible. Maybe Mr. Hagel is one of those folks who is trying to pretend the Holocaust never happened, and doesn't like Bush saying revising history is bad. Or maybe he is trying to sound all special because he's worried about 2006.

.....he knows it's Bush trying to do the revisions

politics.abovetopsecret.com...

Either way, Old Chuck is mouthing the words....let's just hope is from an altruistic place

I seem to recall that the Dems and the Reps voted on the US going into Iraq based on the same intelligence info. Now giving that the info was faulty, Bush and Co are guilty of not verifying worth a toot. The CIA needs it's clock cleaned for not submitting proper intel. But honestly, most of the intel was gathered during the Clinton era. I recall everyone in DC jumping on the 'War Wagon'(great John Wayne movie by the way) after 9/11. Now that things are not going so well in Iraq, it seems that most of the rats want to jump the ship. Bush is guilty of being stupid, but he is correct in suggesting that some Senators and Congressmen have selective short memories. Now who said this famous quote?, "I voted to send troops to Iraq before I voted against it" It's fine to change horses in mid stream but you have to expect to get wet! Instead of playing the blame game why don't they all go to the keys, chug down some Corona's and come up with an exit strategy, hell it's five o'clock somewhere!