Among the presidents and first ladies, vice president and wife, at the funeral for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy: Former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, former first lady Rosalynn Carter and former President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo / Brian Snyder, pool)
by Mark Silva
` "Today we say goodbye to the youngest child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy,'' President Barack Obama said today at the public funeral for the last of the three Kennedy brothers who held or sought the presidency.
"The world will long remember their son Edward as the heir to a weighty legacy; a champion for those who had none; the soul of the Democratic Party; and the lion of the United States Senate - a man who graces nearly one thousand laws, and who penned more than three hundred himself,'' the president said in a eulogy for Edward M. "Ted'' Kennedy - remembered by Obama today as Wordsworth's "Happy Warrior'' and "the greatest legislator of our time.''
Obama and wife Michelle assumed seats in the first pews of the basilica in Boston where some 1,500 mourners assembled this morning for a funeral mass - with an array of former presidents and first ladies seated beside them and behind them: President Jimmy Carter and Roslyn Carter to their left, President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton - the secretary of state in the Obama administration who fought Obama for the Democratic nomination last year - behind them and President George W. Bush and Laura Bush beside the Clintons..
The television coverage of the assembly revealed an animated Bush engaging in banter with Hillary Clinton to his right, with Bill Clinton and with the Obamas seated before him before the mass. This culminated three days of memorial events for the longtime senator from Massachusetts who died this week following a year-long battle with brain cancer.
Last night, friends shared stories - with retired Sen. John Culver of Iowa telling an amusing tale of sailing with Kennedy. Today, they came to eulogize Kennedy, who will be buried this afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.
Obama spoke of not only the late and longtime legislator's lawmaking prowess, but also his personal skills of persuasion. And he spoke of his own personal gifts from the man - a Cape Cod seascape hanging on Kennedy's wall that Obama, then a freshman, had seen and complimented. Kennedy gave it to him. "That was my second (favorite) gift from Teddy and (his wife) Vicki,'' Obama said today - "after our dog Bo.''
The senator, who died at 77 at his home Tuesday night, was the last of three brothers who had first captured the American public's imagination in the 1960s and engaged in the greatest legislative debates for five decades: President John F. Kennedy, elected in 1960, slain in 1963; Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated while seeking his party's nomination for president in 1968; and "Teddy'' Kennedy, first elected a senator in 1962, failing at his final bid for the presidential nomination - losing to an incumbent Carter - in 1980, but continuing to serve in the Senate for nearly three decades more.
"Those of us who loved him, and ache with his passing, know Ted Kennedy by the other titles he held: Father. Brother. Husband. Uncle Teddy, or as he was often known to his younger nieces and nephews, "The Grand Fromage," or "The Big Cheese.'' Obama said today. "I, like so many others in the city where he worked for nearly half a century, knew him as a colleague, a mentor, and above all, as a friend.
"Ted Kennedy was the baby of the family who became its patriarch; the restless dreamer who became its rock,'' the president said of a senator who served for nearly 47 years.
(Former President Bill Clinton is pictured above, left, speaking with President Barack Obama as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, looks on prior to the Roman Catholic Funeral Mass for Sen. Edward Kennedy at Our Lady of Perpetual Hope Basilica in Boston. Photo by Brian Snyder / pool / AP )
"He was the sunny, joyful child, who bore the brunt of his brothers' teasing, but learned quickly how to brush it off,'' Obama said. "When they tossed him off a boat because he didn't know what a jib was, six-year-old Teddy got back in and learned to sail. When a photographer asked the newly-elected Bobby to step back at a press conference because he was casting a shadow on his younger brother, Teddy quipped, "It'll be the same in Washington."
"That spirit of resilience and good humor would see Ted Kennedy through more pain and tragedy than most of us will ever know. He lost two siblings by the age of sixteen. He saw two more taken violently from a country that loved them. He said goodbye to his beloved sister, Eunice, in the final days of his life. He narrowly survived a plane crash, watched two children struggle with cancer, buried three nephews, and experienced personal failings and setbacks in the most public way possible.
"It is a string of events that would have broken a lesser man. And it would have been easy for Ted to let himself become bitter and hardened; to surrender to self-pity and regret; to retreat from public life and live out his years in peaceful quiet. No one would have blamed him for that.
"But that was not Ted Kennedy. As he told us, "...Individual faults and frailties are no excuse to give in - and no exemption from the common obligation to give of ourselves." Indeed, Ted was the "Happy Warrior" that the poet Wordsworth spoke of when he wrote:
As tempted more; more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress;
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
"Through his own suffering, Ted Kennedy became more alive to the plight and the suffering of others - the sick child who could not see a doctor; the young soldier denied of rights because of who he or she is or where he or she comes from. The landmark laws that he championed -- the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, immigration reform, children's health care, the Family and Medical Leave Act -all have a running thread.
"Ted Kennedy's life's work was not to champion those with wealth or power or special connections. It was to give a voice to those who were not heard; to add a rung to the ladder of opportunity; to make real the dream of our founding. He was given the gift of time that his brothers were not, and he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many wrongs as the years would allow.
"We can still hear his voice bellowing through the Senate chamber, face reddened, fist pounding the podium, a veritable force of nature, in support of health care or workers' rights or civil rights. And yet, while his causes became deeply personal, his disagreements never did.
"While he was seen by his fiercest critics as a partisan lightning rod, that is not the prism through which Ted Kennedy saw the world, nor was it the prism through which his colleagues saw him. He was a product of an age when the joy and nobility of politics prevented differences of party and philosophy from becoming barriers to cooperation and mutual respect - a time when adversaries still saw each other as patriots.
"And that's how Ted Kennedy became the greatest legislator of our time. He did it by hewing to principle, but also by seeking compromise and common cause - not through deal-making and horse-trading alone, but through friendship, and kindness, and humor.
"There was the time he courted Orrin Hatch's support for the Children's Health Insurance Program by having his Chief of Staff serenade the senator with a song Orrin had written himself; the time he delivered shamrock cookies on a china plate to sweeten up a crusty Republican colleague; and the famous story of how he won the support of a Texas Committee chairman on an immigration bill.
" Teddy walked into a meeting with a plain manila envelope, and showed only the chairman that it was filled with the Texan's favorite cigars.,'' Obama said. "When the negotiations were going well, he would inch the envelope closer to the chairman. When they weren't, he would pull it back. Before long, the deal was done.
"It was only a few years ago, on St. Patrick's Day, when Teddy buttonholed me on the floor of the Senate for my support on a certain piece of legislation that was coming up for vote. I gave him my pledge, but expressed my skepticism that it would pass. But when the roll call was over, the bill garnered the votes it needed, and then some. I looked at Teddy with astonishment and asked how he had pulled it off. He just patted me on the back, and said "Luck of the Irish!"
"Of course, luck had little to do with Ted Kennedy's legislative success, and he knew that. A few years ago, his father-in-law told him that he and Daniel Webster just might be the two greatest senators of all time. Without missing a beat, Teddy replied, "What did Webster do?"
"But though it is Ted Kennedy's historic body of achievements we will remember, it is his giving heart that we will miss. It was the friend and colleague who was always the first to pick up the phone and say, "I'm sorry for your loss," or "I hope you feel better," or "What can I do to help?" It was the boss who was so adored by his staff that over five hundred spanning five decades showed up for his 75th birthday party. It was the man who sent birthday wishes and thank you notes and even his own paintings to so many who never imagined that a U.S. senator would take the time to think about someone like them.
"I have one of those paintings in my private study - a Cape Cod seascape that was a gift to a freshman legislator who happened to admire it when Ted Kennedy welcomed him into his office the first week he arrived in Washington; by the way, that's my second (favorite) gift from Teddy and Vicki after our dog Bo. And it seems like everyone has one of those stories - the ones that often start with "You wouldn't believe who called me today."
"Ted Kennedy was the father who looked after not only his own three children, but John's and Bobby's as well. He took them camping and taught them to sail. He laughed and danced with them at birthdays and weddings; cried and mourned with them through hardship and tragedy; and passed on that same sense of service and selflessness that his parents had instilled in him. Shortly after Ted walked Caroline down the aisle and gave her away at the altar, he received a note from Jackie that read, "On you the carefree youngest brother fell a burden a hero would have begged to be spared. We are all going to make it because you were always there with your love."
"Not only did the Kennedy family make it because of Ted's love - he made it because of theirs; and especially because of the love and the life he found in Vicki. After so much loss and so much sorrow, it could not have been easy for Ted Kennedy to risk his heart again. That he did is a testament to how deeply he loved this remarkable woman from Louisiana. And she didn't just love him back. As Ted would often acknowledge, Vicki saved him. She gave him strength and purpose; joy and friendship; and stood by him always, especially in those last, hardest days.
"We cannot know for certain how long we have here. We cannot foresee the trials or misfortunes that will test us along the way. We cannot know God's plan for us.
"What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can with purpose, and love, and joy. We can use each day to show those who are closest to us how much we care about them, and treat others with the kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. And we can strive at all costs to make a better world, so that someday, if we are blessed with the chance to look back on our time here, we can know that we spent it well; that we made a difference; that our fleeting presence had a lasting impact on the lives of other human beings.
"This is how Ted Kennedy lived. This is his legacy. He once said of his brother Bobby that he need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, and I imagine he would say the same about himself. The greatest expectations were placed upon Ted Kennedy's shoulders because of who he was, but he surpassed them all because of who he became. We do not weep for him today because of the prestige attached to his name or his office. We weep because we loved this kind and tender hero who persevered through pain and tragedy - not for the sake of ambition or vanity; not for wealth or power; but only for the people and the country he loved.
"In the days after September 11th, Teddy made it a point to personally call each one of the 177 families of this state who lost a loved one in the attack. But he didn't stop there. He kept calling and checking up on them. He fought through red tape to get them assistance and grief counseling. He invited them sailing, played with their children, and would write each family a letter whenever the anniversary of that terrible day came along. To one widow, he wrote the following:
"As you know so well, the passage of time never really heals the tragic memory of such a great loss, but we carry on, because we have to, because our loved one would want us to, and because there is still light to guide us in the world from the love they gave us."
"We carry on.
"Ted Kennedy has gone home now, guided by his faith and by the light of those he has loved and lost,'' the president said today. "At last he is with them once more, leaving those of us who grieve his passing with the memories he gave, the good he did, the dream he kept alive, and a single, enduring image - the image of a man on a boat; white mane tousled; smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for what storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon. May God Bless Ted Kennedy, and may he rest in eternal peace.''
Comments
Good taste dictates that one should speak only good about the dead, as verified today. It is too bad that the same manners do not apply to the living, as evidenced by Kennedy's scathing and unfair attacks on such persons as Bork, Thomas and Bush.
Posted by: Daryl | August 29, 2009 1:49 PM
Teddy was a great man who lived his life in the true service of his fellow man. What a difference he made in this great country of ours. Who will pick up the baton and fight for the people? Who will pick up the baton and do what is right, not what they have to do to get reelected. Who will pick up the baton and help the people of this nation at one of its darkest times. The answer should not be who but how many.
Posted by: no spin | August 29, 2009 2:28 PM
Kennedy's scathing and unfair attacks on such persons as Bork, Thomas and Bush.
Posted by: Daryl | August 29, 2009 1:49 PM
Ya those horrible things he said about Bush's lies about Iraq really irk me!
And what about your good friend Rush and all the hate he spews?
Oh never mind. Can't teach old dogs.
Posted by: Pat from LA | August 29, 2009 4:08 PM
Serene approbation was the look on Jimmy Carter's face as he listened to Obama's eulogy.
I've a notion that he's requesting the same eulogist in his own funeral instructions.
Posted by: ornery | August 29, 2009 5:33 PM
"Pat from LA" forgets that Kennedy also was against the Bush I successful eviction of Saddam from Kuwait. Pat also forgets that Kennedy worked to undermine Reagan in dealing with Russia in order to further Kennedy's own ambitions.
I realize the eulogy is not the time to drag in the errors, omissions, and conspiracies, but we do need to remember that Kennedy was not some overriding "goodness". There is probably more bull thrown around at a politicians funeral than at any other place and any other time. That is because politicians are in charge of politician's funerals. They can't help themselves.
As they say, "Mary Jo could not be reached for comment".
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 29, 2009 6:10 PM
As they say, "Mary Jo could not be reached for comment".
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 29, 2009 6:10 PM
Nice.....how in your opinion does that stack up next to "we know where the WMDs are"? Sorry.....4000 American soldiers couldn't be reached for comment. But thank God you're here to judge us all.
Posted by: bill r. | August 29, 2009 6:29 PM
BillyR,
Where were the WMDs when President Clinton bombed Baghdad for 4 days?
Posted by: Terry | August 29, 2009 7:28 PM
Given all of your other stupid posts, " Rick Ciard ", this one is the best example of the Bush&Cheney fringe's subhuman mentality. Please, continue with your screeds, in the name of the Republican/Libertarian Party, they help the Democratic Party immensely. As for the bushbit, there was more of that odious element in your post, here, than there was at any Swift-Boaters or NRA's convention !! Get ready to enjoy, for the first time, in America, thanks to the late Senator Kennedy and our Democratic Party, a new, national healthcare option, which will herd in the vampire Corps of the Healthcare Industry !! De-invest from these bloodsucking Corps, they have enjoyed their parasitic existence, for far too long !!
Thanks, President Obama, for the great eulogy you delivered in memory of the late, great Senator Kennedy. May he rest in peace.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE.NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | August 29, 2009 7:41 PM
Rick Caird I Don't think you know this but Kennedy and Reagan were actually very good friends. When you throw a lot of bull around people actually belive it just look at the republican party news channel.
Posted by: no spin | August 29, 2009 7:42 PM
"There is probably more bull thrown around at a politicians funeral than at any other place and any other time."
Card 'The Joker',
Except one of your posts.
Posted by: TheReamer | August 29, 2009 8:10 PM
Do you hate mongers ever take a day off? I wonder what you can say you did for humanity, but spew hate, when then end comes for you? Do you ever stop to think about what you say or what God asks of us. AMAZING!!!!
Posted by: cj | August 29, 2009 9:02 PM
Did Kennedy have his failings? Of course. He was human. I, for one, cannot even imagine what it must have been like to experience the extreme tragedies he lived through. And in the public eye. Can any of you? Most people would have completely fallen apart. An incredible burden was placed on him to take up the Kennedy banner and continue to serve his country -- even though he was in a position to never have to work. But his life's mission was to fight for those who had no one to fight for them -- the poor, the sick, the elderly, the disenfranchised. Any of you ever had a baby and, because of FMLA, was able to take off of work (mother or father) without fear of losing your job? You can thank Teddy Kennedy. Bottom line, in his four decades of public service, he has helped more people than you can even begin to imagine. THAT deserves to be celebrated.
Posted by: Milw-Town | August 29, 2009 9:20 PM
RIP Teddy...you did a lot of good for the "little" person like others did in your family. Even though you were one of the "haves" you did make certain by your good work an actions that the "have nots" were not forgotten. I will never have the money your family has enjoyed, but I think some of your efforts to even the playing field made me and my family a little more comfortable and some things extremely easier for others. I'm sorry that you never got to see health care for all a reality in your lifetime.
Posted by: lochnesssmonster | August 29, 2009 10:17 PM
OK, I'll take them one at a time.
"bill r": Are you claiming that acting on what turned out to be incorrect intelligence, is equivalent to allowing a girl to die in your car because you were afraid for your political career. Remember, estimates are the Kopechne was alive, breathing in a bubble of air, for up to 5 hours.
However, I am sure you will bring up Iraq at Bush's funeral.
"Don Fitzgerald, IL": as hard as I try, I can't get anything but a bunch of name calling out of your post. Do you have anything intelligent to say?
"no spin": I never said anything about Reagan and Kennedy. But, I would add that Tip O'Neil and Reagan got along well, too. However, since you specifically addressed me, I have to ask what your comment has to do with what I wrote. Are you going to argue Chappaquiddick didn't happen? Are you going to argue Kennedy did not go back channel with his own attempt at foreign policy? Are you going to argue that Kennedy was some kind of saint who never did anything wrong?
"TheReamer": Pretty poor excuse for a reaming. Surprise us and see if you can actually man up and intelligently address an issue next time. I know it will be hard for you.
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 29, 2009 10:36 PM
Three of the worst democrats in one picture...very rare.
Jimma Carter...didn't support the Shah of Iran and that led to the 444 day hostage crisis and Islamic terrorism.
B.J. Clinton...Spent eight years chasing skirts while we were being attacked at home and abroad by terrorists. 911 was planned under his nose for over three years and he didn't have a clue.
obama...a complete disaster and he's only been in office eight months, will end up being worse than B.J. and Jimma combined.
...a very rare picture.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | August 30, 2009 12:54 AM
I would have loved to been a "fly in the pew" if you will, to hear what Hillary, GW and Laura were talking about prior to the Mass.
But the best tribute/speech this entire weekend was Friday night, by Orrin Hatch. He was moving, funny, respectful, and you could tell he had true affection for Teddy. The story about how he got Kennedy to give a speech at the opening of a Mormon church in Boston was great.
Sen. Hatch, I rarely agree with your politics, but you gained quite a bit of my repect.
Posted by: Steve34 | August 30, 2009 6:43 AM
Serene approbation was the look on Jimmy Carter's face as he listened to Obama's eulogy.
I've a notion that he's requesting the same eulogist in his own funeral instructions.
Posted by: ornery | August 30, 2009 7:30 AM
Well Rick....I certainly hope you will reserve judgement when Laura Bush passes as she too has a history with vehicle accidents. There are rumors about her accident in 1963 when she ran a stop sign killing a young man. Rumor has it drinking was involved. No tests were ever given hmmmmm. So while you in your omnipotence pass judgement at the death of people, please be kind to her.
Posted by: bill r. | August 30, 2009 9:10 AM
"TheReamer": Pretty poor excuse for a reaming. Surprise us and see if you can actually man up and intelligently address an issue next time. I know it will be hard for you.
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 29, 2009 10:36 PM
Yes...by all means "Reamer", man up and throw out Mary Jo at the mans death. Now there is something you can be proud of Reamer. Remember it is Sunday so you can go to church and throw an extra buck in the plate and talk about forgiveness, then come home and be all knowing and all judging.
Posted by: bill r. | August 30, 2009 9:22 AM
BillyR,
Your silence says it all.
Posted by: Terry | August 30, 2009 11:51 AM
Your silence says it all.
Posted by: Terry | August 30, 2009 11:51 AM
Oh please.........Ok, if we need to answer every idiotic question....here is one for you. How many service men or women died those days? I know to you there is no difference between a four day action and a trillion dollar mistake. There may have been many who suspected about WMDs, there was one willing to commit our men and women. I see a huge difference in that. I also think you neglect the cherry picking of intel, and Cheney's reversal of the reasons not to invade Iraq. He knew the dificulties there would be and he sold America out with ignoring his own words.
Posted by: bill r. | August 30, 2009 12:44 PM
Notice how, as usual, Carter sits apart from the other presidents? It was the same in December when Bush invited former presidents to the White House to greet Obama. What goes?
Posted by: Serena | August 30, 2009 1:15 PM
Serena -- I'm sorry, but what the heck does the seating arrangement have to do with this story? It's about honoring the life of Senator Kennedy, not "ooh, Carter got dissed again." And if you want to get technical, the gathering was in January, not December. And while Bush may have made the arrangements, it was Obama's idea, when he made the suggestion the previous November.
Posted by: SouthSideD | August 30, 2009 3:32 PM
BillyR,
In Dec, 1998, were there WMDs? Simple question - requires a yes or know.
The intellgence pointed to WMDs existing for the end of the first gulf war until Dec, 1998 and then thru March, 2003. President Clinton thought a few days of bombing would cure the situation, according to our intellgence, it didn't. So with a terroprist attack fresh on the country's mind, it was time to eliminate this threat once and for all. A few days of bombing didn't seem to work, so it would have to be to physically take out Saddam.
I sure you hope you approve of the mounting casulaity counts in Afghanistan.
http://www.icasualties.org/
Posted by: Terry | August 30, 2009 4:03 PM
Serena said: Notice how, as usual, Carter sits apart from the other presidents?
It seems to me Carter was placed in a position of honor -- in the front row. The seating was not random; it was decided in advance.
Posted by: RIP Teddy! | August 30, 2009 8:26 PM
"bill r", when we have a televised Catholic funeral for Laura Bush with three eulogies, you can certainly mention "There are rumors about her accident in 1963 when she ran a stop sign killing a young man. Rumor has it drinking was involved."
I don't remember any rumors, though, of her running away to save her political career and refusing to report the accident to the police. Surely, there must be some moral equivalence in there. Right?
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 31, 2009 7:51 AM
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 31, 2009 7:51 AM
Thanks for your blessing to talk down about Laura Bush at her funeral, but I will pass as that isn't my style. Maybe yours.......not mine.
Posted by: bill r. | August 31, 2009 8:57 AM
I always thought a warrior wouldn't leave anyone behind - I guess Mary Jo didn't qualify.
Some more boorish behvaior from Teddy, which includes his good carousing buddy - Chris "Friend of Angelo" Dodd.
http://www.examiner.com/x-3108-Baltimore-Republican-Examiner~y2009m8d30-How-Catholic-were-Ted-and-the-Kennedys
Posted by: Terry | August 31, 2009 9:29 AM
Terry, how does Clinton's error justify Bush's error? Was Bush unable to analyze the intelligence for himself?
Incidentally, there are significant diifference between Clinton's actions (which I nelieve were in error) in 1998, and Bush's actions in 2003. Clinton's actions in 98 were prompted by Iraq's refusal to cooperate with the UN arms inspectors. Bush attacked at a time when Iraq was cooperating with the UN, and while the arms inspectors were begging for a few more months to do their work, which at the time were finding no WMDs or active WMD programs, which was absolutely correct.
Also Clinton, unlike Bush, never claimed that Iraq's WMDs , if they had them, were a direct and immediate threat to the US. This is also correct. Even the most overheated assesments of Iraqs capabilities had them no wheres near having the ability to produce a weapon that would seriously threaten the US in any way. That's make Clinton's more measured response of bombing, a more reasonable reaction to the threat than Bush's full blown invasion which killed far more people than Iraq's WMD programs ever threatened to. I will also note, that I, and Many Democrats (and many Republicans) questioned the wisdom of Clinton's bombing campaign in 1998. Unlike you, I don't need to reflexively defend the errors of Presidents of my party.
Incidently, ask yourself this: If Bush was so sure that Iraq had WMDs that could threaten the US if the fell into terrorist hands, why didn't the military secure the sites that had previously been associated with the Iraqi WMD programs? Shouldn't that have been their highest priority?
Finally, I will take issue with you connection between 9/11 and the War in Iraq. As everyone knows, and knew at the time, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Attacking Iraq was actually counterproductive to our efforts against those who actually did hurt us on 9/11. 9/11 isn't an argument for Bush's war in Iraq, but an argument against it.
The fact is Terry, Ted Kennedy was right that the war in Iraq would be a dreadful and unnecessary mistake. make all the personal attacks on Kennedy you want, that fact doesn't changel.
Posted by: Rob | August 31, 2009 12:45 PM
"bill r": it was not invitation. It was a continuation of my point that Kennedy was not the saint, or the lion, that too many think.
I left off the vile attacks on Bork, which Kennedy knew were untrue, but set the stage for all these vicious confirmation battles ever since. I also left out Kennedy's attempts to undercut the foreign policy of both Carter and Reagan in an attempt to boost his own chances for the Presidency.
All this is without going into his personal failings.
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | August 31, 2009 1:40 PM
Rob,
So President Clinton made an error in bombing Iraq in Dec, 1998? He lied to the nation about the reason for the bombing? Could the reason for the bombing actually have been a distraction from the Lewinsky scandal? Should he be tried as a war criminal as the left demands of President Bush?
The fact is, the intellgence turned out to be wrong for both President Clinton and President Bush. They both acted on the intellgence reports they had at the time.
Clinton had no pressing reason, other than two of our embassies in Africa, and the Khobar towers, had been bombed by Islamic terrorists. for him to thing the WMDs would be used against the U.S. President Bush on the hand, had 9-11 fresh in his memory. Also, Saddam had been jacking the U.N. around for a decade with no results.
If Clinton's response was so measured, then why after the bombings did many prominent democrats still claim Saddam had WMDs
http://www.davidstuff.com/political/wmdquotes.htm
Especially see the quote from your recently departed senator made on September 27, 2002.
As far as the connection between Iraq and al Qeada - see below.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/804yqqnr.asp
Posted by: Terry | August 31, 2009 3:56 PM
Terry, Yes, I do think he made a mistake in ordering the bombing. I think he was more honest than Bush was on the reasons, by referenceing the failure of Iraq to cooperate with the UN, rather than exagerating the threat of Iraq's supposed WMDs.
You see Terry, mature adults can admit when a President of the same political party they support makes an error. I have no need to defend every action of Bill Clinton, or Barack Obama, as you apparently do for George Bush.
But then why am I trying to have a rational conversation with someone who still tries to justify the Iraq war by claiming that it had something to do with 9/11? Apparently you are so devoted to the Republican Party, or to George Bush, that you are incapable of considering even the possibility of error on his part, even when there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Posted by: Rob | August 31, 2009 5:12 PM
Rob,
Trust me I don't defend every action of President Bush - No Child Left Behind, Perscription Drug Benefits, and too much spending during his administration - just to name the major items.
Were the errors based on the misreading the intellgence reports, just as it was by many key democrats, including Teddy Kennedy. President Bush just took more decisive action than Bill Clinton under much more trying circumstances.
Posted by: Terry | August 31, 2009 6:46 PM
Trust me I don't defend every action of President Bush
Posted by: Terry | August 31, 2009 6:46 PM
Yes they all say thow NOW!
Posted by: bill r. | August 31, 2009 8:18 PM
BillyR,
Go back and check the record
Posted by: Terry | August 31, 2009 10:23 PM
Give me a topic you disagreed with Bush on....and I will search it.
Posted by: bill r. | September 1, 2009 7:33 AM
Presideny Bush's and the GOP spending.
Posted by: Terry | September 1, 2009 10:15 PM
Billy,
Still looking?
Posted by: Terry | September 5, 2009 11:44 AM
Actually i always respect the decision taken by elders and hierarchy. We don't have any other option as well. Still respecting their decision is always good for us. They are been at that position to always think and do good for the nation.
Posted by: r4 dsi | November 21, 2009 1:57 AM