Gen'l Wes Clark says

[tw]

Originally posted by Undertoad
I will wait to see how that person who was a serious hawk/interventionist pre-9/11 could convert to being anti-Iraq war.

Posting is one of those "hawks" who was pissed at the majority (ie Cheney). A majority that said we could not kick Saddam out of Kuwait. How is this brutal realist also so anti-Iraq? He is not. He is anti-"We are gods chosen people who can lie about WMD". He openly opposed people who "*know*" aluminum tubes would be used for nuclear fuel processing only because they know. Their politics toldl them so. IOW they lied.

This hard nose realist is against polictally inspired extremists - people who know only because they are blessed with divine knowledge or words from George Jr. People who somehow "knew" those alumumin tubes must have been for WMD were challenged. Its called first learning facts. Facts so obvious that I will be blunt about the lies from right wing extremist supporters. We knew those aluminum tubes were not for WMD. AND we knew there was no smoking gun to justify an Iraq invasion. We now know there was no smoking gun because there were no WMD. That is how one who advocated the liberation of Kuwait before it was popular can also oppose a lying administration. Its called being consistent Its called first learning facts.

Its not "hawk" and "doves" as UT portrarys it. Its about using military force to excess if necessary - but only when honest facts -the smoking gun - first exist. The WTC was a smoking gun. Milosevik was a smoking gun. Peral Harbor was a smoking gun. There was no smoking gun for Iraq. We now know the administration also knew that - but lied anyway. That is how an administration abuses military personal - just like in VietNam. Its not about hawk and dove. Its about honesty - such as the aluminum tubes. A lie that will not stay buried. A lie that demonstrates why "we are stuck" in Iraq - a direct quote from General Zinni.