Feinstein tells S.D. business leaders Bush misled on war

[sabra]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20060822-9999-1n22difi.html

Feinstein tells S.D. business leaders Bush misled on war
Senator wants troops out by end of 2007


Sen. Dianne Feinstein told San Diego business leaders yesterday that the Bush administration misled America into invading Iraq and mismanaged that country to the brink of civil war.

...

“I would say to the president, 'It hasn't worked your way, try it our way,' ” Feinstein told more than 300 people at a San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce lunch at the Holiday Inn on the Bay.

Most of her remarks on Iraq – mirroring those of the Democratic leadership in Congress – were met with polite silence, but her call to replace Rumsfeld and remove troops drew scattered applause.

...

Feinstein voted to authorize the Iraq invasion, but said yesterday, “It's now clear that the administration's strategy was regime change and not Saddam's possession of weapons of mass destruction, as we were told.”

[bluestateguy]

1. There we ago again with those weasel words

"Misled".

No, he lied.

Saying he "misled" is a weasel word. Republicans never pulled any punches in calling Bill Clinton a liar because he lied about a private sexual relationship.

I suppose for DiFi this is a major evolution in her position on the war, and that's good, but this kind of slippery rhetoric makes the Democrats look like prevaricators who won't stand up for what they believe. That then allows Republicans to get away with saying, "well, you may not agree with me, but you know where I stand. I have convictions".

[gratuitous]

5. Yeah, it's weaselly

But remember who and where DiFi is saying these things: A meeting of San Diego businessmen, probably as conservative an audience as you're likely to find anywhere in California. I notice that even saying Bush "misled" the country was met with silence. The reporter calls it a "stony" silence, but the men in that room aren't stupid. If I were there, I might have called it a "thoughtful" silence. It's unlikely they've heard many politicians come to their little meetings to tell them that the country's leaders are a bunch of scoundrels.

Good for DiFi indeed to say these things, out loud and to people who need to hear it.

[MindPilot]

2. As I recall, the administration was pretty up front regarding

the invasion being about regime change in Iraq.

Sorry, DiFi, a little too little just a little too late.

[leesa]

3. Nah, regime change came later. Saddam offered to leave, it was rejected

[leesa]

4. San Diego is so backwards...stony silence about the obvious lies

that got us into war. It's no wonder we have DiFi and we will end up with Arnie this fall.

[MindPilot]

6. We're not all backwards...remember that "business leaders"

is a polite euphemism for "rich, ignorant self-serving pricks".

[EFerrari]

7. I'm glad it's NOW clear, Dianne. Too bad it wasn't THEN clear

when thousands of your constituents begged you to vote no.

[CountAllVotes]

8. Feinstein = Lieberman clone IMO

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