NEW YORK – Democrat John Edwards said Tuesday that honesty and openness were essential qualities for a president, and that he was proud to acknowledge his 2002 vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq was a mistake.
Trolling for campaign cash on a three-day visit to New York — home of his chief Democratic rival, Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton — Edwards spoke to reporters after attending a union-sponsored workshop on eradicating poverty.Asked whether his repeated apologies for his vote would be a turnoff to voters over time, the 2004 vice presidential nominee said that after six years of President Bush, voters craved a president willing to acknowledge errors and change course if necessary.
“If you asked me what I think the most important personal characteristics of the next president are, I would say honesty, openness and decency,” he said. “There’s not a single voter in America who doesn’t understand that their president is human, and their president will sometimes makes mistakes.”
I’m not sure “proud” is the word I’d use to describe how one would feel about getting suckered by George W. Bush, but really, let’s be glad he recognizes the “suckered” part, because it’s more than a lot of people are able to do.
A.
Edwards believed the drone stories. The majority of Democratic Senators on the Intelligence committee didn’t. The majority of the Democratic Senators on the Armed Services committee didn’t. Or at least not enough to give Bush authorization for Iraq.
The drone stories were being peddled by the administration, too. Bush mentioned them in speeches before the war. At the time, the US was just beginning to weaponize the Predator drones. Yet people were willing to buy into the idea that Iraq — a country that didn’t control its own airspace and with no aerospace industry — had managed to pull of a technological feat that the United States was just beginning to implement.
Only an idiot — or someone who wanted to look tough on Iraq — would have swallowed that story.
Slow down there, pardner.
You may not have heard that classified briefings were given to Senators in the run up to Iraq, describing drones filled with bio weapons capable of striking the US. A dem florida senator has disclosed this. Of course, those briefings were bullshit, but they convinced many to vote for AUMF.
So cut Edwards some slack.
I only wish his populist message got more airplay.
Edwards doesn’t admit to being suckered. He says he got super-secret bogus intelligence that didn’t come from Bush
(http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070115fa_fact?page=2):
Edwards is genial in conversation, but he became almost testy when I brought up his vote, in 2002, in favor of the Iraq-war resolution. Edwards has repudiated his vote, unlike Clinton, who has not renounced her own support for the war despite demands from her backers that she do so. Edwards worries that his vote will be seen as evidence that he was somehow fooled by the Administration into giving it his support. “I was convinced that Saddam had chemical and biological weapons and was doing everything in his power to get nuclear weapons,” he said. “There was some disparity in the information I had about how far along he was in that process. I didn’t rely on George Bush for that. And I personally think there’s some dishonesty in suggesting that members of the United States Senate relied on George Bush for that information, because I don’t think it’s true. It’s great politics. But it’s not the truth.”
i think i’m really liking edwards right now. a while ago, i would have thought i would have supported hillary – but now i’m pretty sure that’s a no. for what it’s worth, she doesn’t even have an “issues” category in her campaign site header. maybe i’m being hypercritical, but come on – friggin say something. tell us what you stand for. here, edwards is stepping up and being specific about his issues and his plans. daring, so they say, but i find it refreshing and commendable. i’m not sure what i think about some of the details in his approach on some things, for instance, immigration. but for the love of pete, the man has a plan. amen.
i’m on the fence with obama. i’m still not sold. aside from iraq, i’m not sure if he really “gets it”. the blurbs on his site about supporting low-income workers leaves me uninspired (transitional work = substandard wages and still does nothing to inmprove the job market/increase opportunities, and oh yeah, it’s already been done. in NY, it’s called WEP – and it sucks). and the responsible fatherhood initiatives are slippery slopes, if you ask me (which, i know, you did not).
edwards is coming in the closest right now. i hope my small-but-better-than-nothing annual bonus comes in time to help keep him in this. yay for him.
“If you asked me what I think the most important personal characteristics of the next president are, I would say honesty, openness and decency”
well, he HAS been honest and open about not yet having the decency to support full marriage equality
In November 2008 I will vote for the Democratic candidate. I will be sure he/she is greatly preferable to the Republican candidate. I will even be working for that person’s campaign in some way, probably as a phone banker. If that person wins I will be absolutely delighted. But, my candidate is Senator Obama.
I totally agree with you. Edwards was very smart to say his vote was a mistake. I honestly dont think Hillary can overcome it- at least I hope she can’t.
Obama or Edwards, either one is OK with me at this point.