There really is no controversy, difference of opinion, or substantive issue remaining about the invasion of Iraq.
(a) Knowing what we knew then, the decision to go in was eminently questionable, but the President and a majority of Congress agreed to do it, including a few notables like Kerry, HRC, Biden, and so on.
(b) As a great philosopher once pointed out, the Problem is not What we Don't Know, but rather, what we "know" that isn't true. After the invasion, we learned that Saddam didn't have the stockpiles of WMD's, the people were not going to welcome the American Military as liberators, and they were not ready to embrace a "democratically elected" government unless it was THEIR PREFERRED government, and so on. Disaster ensued.
(c) Knowing what we know now, any sane person would have declined to go in, continued to rely on sanctions to keep Saddam bottled up and impotent, and history would be re-written.
No controversy at all. EVERYBODY involved agrees, including Jeb Bush.
A "mistake" is a decision that is faulty, given the information at hand.
Consider: Babe Ruth is sitting on the bench due to a bad cold. It is late in the game - ninth inning. Yankees are down a run with the bases loaded and two outs. The opposing pitcher is a right-hander that Ruth has hit mercilessly throughout his career. Miller Huggins calls on Babe to pinch hit.
He strikes out to end the game.
Was it a "mistake" to use Ruth? NO! It was the right call. Just because it turned out badly does not make the decision a "mistake."
Although going into Iraq to depose Saddam turned out badly, it was not a managerial MISTAKE; it was a valid decision based on the best information available at the time, and it turned out badly.
And of course, if you believe that "Bush lied," you are an idiot.
The media circus surrounding Jeb Bush's statements and clarifications is nothing more than a MSM campaign to discredit the most promising looking Republican of the moment - a campaign that will continue through the first Tuesday in November next year.
P.S., I have no love for "Bush-45," but this news dustup is asinine.
(a) Knowing what we knew then, the decision to go in was eminently questionable, but the President and a majority of Congress agreed to do it, including a few notables like Kerry, HRC, Biden, and so on.
(b) As a great philosopher once pointed out, the Problem is not What we Don't Know, but rather, what we "know" that isn't true. After the invasion, we learned that Saddam didn't have the stockpiles of WMD's, the people were not going to welcome the American Military as liberators, and they were not ready to embrace a "democratically elected" government unless it was THEIR PREFERRED government, and so on. Disaster ensued.
(c) Knowing what we know now, any sane person would have declined to go in, continued to rely on sanctions to keep Saddam bottled up and impotent, and history would be re-written.
No controversy at all. EVERYBODY involved agrees, including Jeb Bush.
A "mistake" is a decision that is faulty, given the information at hand.
Consider: Babe Ruth is sitting on the bench due to a bad cold. It is late in the game - ninth inning. Yankees are down a run with the bases loaded and two outs. The opposing pitcher is a right-hander that Ruth has hit mercilessly throughout his career. Miller Huggins calls on Babe to pinch hit.
He strikes out to end the game.
Was it a "mistake" to use Ruth? NO! It was the right call. Just because it turned out badly does not make the decision a "mistake."
Although going into Iraq to depose Saddam turned out badly, it was not a managerial MISTAKE; it was a valid decision based on the best information available at the time, and it turned out badly.
And of course, if you believe that "Bush lied," you are an idiot.
The media circus surrounding Jeb Bush's statements and clarifications is nothing more than a MSM campaign to discredit the most promising looking Republican of the moment - a campaign that will continue through the first Tuesday in November next year.
P.S., I have no love for "Bush-45," but this news dustup is asinine.