BlogWood: MT Archives

Dean doesn't waver

Howard Dean says it better than I did (see below):

"Let me be clear: My position on the war has not changed,'' Dean said in an address to the Pacific Council in Los Angeles.

"The difficulties and tragedies we have faced in Iraq show that the administration launched the war in the wrong way, at the wrong time, with inadequate planning, insufficient help, and at unbelievable cost,'' the former Vermont governor said. "An administration prepared to work with others in true partnership might have been able, if it found no alternative to Saddam's ouster, to then rebuild Iraq with far less cost and risk.''

Edwards and Clark also downplay the significance of Saddam's capture:

Edwards, who supported the Bush-backed congressional war resolution, zeroed in on what he said is a greater threat than any posed by Saddam: the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

"It was great news for the Iraqi people, the world, and the United States that Saddam Hussein was captured. But that alone is no substitute for a comprehensive strategy to deal with the world's most dangerous weapons, no matter how welcome the news,'' Edwards said in a text of his address in Iowa, site of the Jan. 19 caucuses.

Clark, speaking from The Hague where he testified in the U.N. war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, said Saddam's capture ``doesn't change the challenge we face there. The war is not over.''

He called on Bush to work more closely with U.S. allies, particularly NATO, to fight terrorism. ``Iraq is still in danger of becoming a failed state,'' Clark said in a text of his address. ``A failed state would be a stunning success for al-Qaida.''