Accountability

I don't want to be a stickler, but accountability is the opposite of forgiving and forgetting...

Maybe I don't count since I was opposed to the war in Iraq from the get-go. At that fateful time in 2002 my wishy-washy argument against the war was the mundane, "I don't see any evidence that we should go to war with Iraq." I agreed with Pope John Paul II that Afganistan was a "just war" and Iraq was not. Lately however, popular opinion seems to have swayed toward a consensus that going to war was a bad idea. At times like this, it is good to recognize that some people knew it would be a bad idea and tried to stop it. I'm not talking about hippie Berkeley students and anti-war protesters. I'm talking about genuine elected officials. In an effort to encourage accountability, here's a list of our Senators and their votes. We voted to go to Iraq 77-23. Whichever way you feel, give them their due.

If you believe the Iraq war was not in the long-term best interest of the US, not worth the cost in dollars or lives, or generally a bad idea, then give props to these Senators for their foresight:

Akaka (D-HI)Bingaman (D-NM)Boxer (D-CA)Byrd (D-WV)Chafee (R-RI)Conrad (D-ND)Corzine (D-NJ)Dayton (D-MN)Durbin (D-IL)Feingold (D-WI)Graham (D-FL)Inouye (D-HI)Jeffords (I-VT)Kennedy (D-MA)Leahy (D-VT)Levin (D-MI)Mikulski (D-MD)Murray (D-WA)Reed (D-RI)Sarbanes (D-MD)Stabenow (D-MI)Wellstone (D-MN)Wyden (D-OR)

If you believe the Iraq war was in the long-term best interest of the US, worth the costs, and generally a good idea, then give props to these Senators for their foresight:

Allard (R-CO)Allen (R-VA)Baucus (D-MT)Bayh (D-IN)Bennett (R-UT)Biden (D-DE)Bond (R-MO)Breaux (D-LA)Brownback (R-KS)Bunning (R-KY)Burns (R-MT)Campbell (R-CO)Cantwell (D-WA)Carnahan (D-MO)Carper (D-DE)Cleland (D-GA)Clinton (D-NY)Cochran (R-MS)Collins (R-ME)Craig (R-ID)Crapo (R-ID)Daschle (D-SD)DeWine (R-OH)Dodd (D-CT)Domenici (R-NM)Dorgan (D-ND)Edwards (D-NC)Ensign (R-NV)Enzi (R-WY)Feinstein (D-CA)Fitzgerald (R-IL)Frist (R-TN)Gramm (R-TX)Grassley (R-IA)Gregg (R-NH)Hagel (R-NE)Harkin (D-IA)Hatch (R-UT)Helms (R-NC)Hollings (D-SC)Hutchinson (R-AR)Hutchison (R-TX)Inhofe (R-OK)Johnson (D-SD)Kerry (D-MA)Kohl (D-WI)Kyl (R-AZ)Landrieu (D-LA)Lieberman (D-CT)Lincoln (D-AR)Lott (R-MS)Lugar (R-IN)McCain (R-AZ)McConnell (R-KY)Miller (D-GA)Murkowski (R-AK)Nelson (D-FL)Nelson (D-NE)Nickles (R-OK)Reid (D-NV)Roberts (R-KS)Rockefeller (D-WV)Santorum (R-PA)Schumer (D-NY)Sessions (R-AL)Shelby (R-AL)Smith (R-NH)Smith (R-OR)Snowe (R-ME)Specter (R-PA)Stevens (R-AK)Thomas (R-WY)Thompson (R-TN)Thurmond (R-SC)Torricelli (D-NJ)Voinovich (R-OH)Warner (R-VA)

Sorry for the boring list, but these people deserve credit, both good and bad. I'd also like to add the names of 4 resolutions that were never agreed upon:

Durbin Amdt. No. 4865; To amend the authorization for the use of the Armed Forces to cover an imminent threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction rather than the continuing threat posed by Iraq.

-This would have explicitly tied the war WMDs. Wonder how things would have changed had we done that. I also wonder how people knew to vote against it.

Levin Amdt. No. 4862; To authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces, pursuant to a new resolution of the United Nations Security Council, to destroy, remove, or render harmless Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons-usable material, long-range ballistic missiles, and related facilities, and for other purposes.

-Even worse, this involves both WMDs and dipolmacy with other countries. It would have made for a short war though.

Byrd Amdt. No. 4868; To provide statutory construction that constitutional
authorities remain unaffected and that no additional grant of authority is made
to the President not directly related to the existing threat posed by Iraq.

-I don't know what this means, but maybe it would have ruled out the construction of prisons outside Iraq and new executive guidelines on "coersive techniques".

Byrd Amdt. No. 4869, As Amended; To provide a termination date for the
authorization of the use of the Armed Forces of the United States, together with
procedures for the extension of such date unless Congress disapproves the
extension.

-That's right folks, from the get-go we decided there would be no oversight, no accountability, no end date, and ultimately no plan. This ammendment came closest to passing...if 31 to 66 can be construed as closest. But since we're being detailed: the ones who thought it might be a good idea to retain some oversight, but voted for the war anyway:
Biden,Cantwell,Dodd,Dorgan,Harkin,Hollings,Kerry,Kohl,Rockefeller,Torricelli.

Everyone else gave the president a green flag and a blank check.
Credit where credit is due.