okay, i know that this has been drilled into the ground, but i just want my own screed on the topic.
did hillary vote for the war? yes. was she fooled by bush? maybe yes or maybe no. did she show poor judgment in supporting the war? maybe yes or maybe no.
so those are the parameters, which lead me to my conclusion...
maybe hillary voted for the war because she was fooled by bush? yes, that's right, hillary did not have the common sense that drove tens of millions of americans to voice their opposition to the war. she did not have the street smarts do figure out she was being fed a line of bull***** three feet deep and a mile wide.
perhaps hillary voted for the war because she thought that the outcome would be better? again, millions of americans knew from the start that this war would end up as a fiasco. but hillary really thought that a country that defeated the british empire at its peak, and sent them scurrying back to their scones and teapots, would be conquered in a couple of weeks.
so what did hillary know that the rest who opposed the war didn't? it's pretty simple really, hillary knew that if she wanted to be re-elected and she wanted to appear strong on national security she had to support the war.
yep, hillary played politics with her vote. instead of standing up and fighting for the right thing, she chose to cover her ass and support the war. when things were at their darkest for the party faithful, when her party needed her to stand up for the principles for which it stood, she chose to sit back and go with the flow. the war did not need her vote to proceed. but hillary did need the vote to continue her political career.
so now, hillary is stuck. she can never dig her way out of this hole because her vote is not a MISTAKE and her vote is not a lapse in JUDGMENT. one can forgive an honest mistake, although one would wish a bit more skill from someone aspiring to the presidency. one can understand poor judgment, as none of us is perfect. but what i can never forgive is someone who is willing to trade her deepest held convictions to hold onto political power. leaders must lead and when the people are wrong, leaders must stand up, point out the people's mistakes and keep them from going astray. abraham lincoln, martin luther king, thaddeus stevens they were all great leaders because they stood up for the right thing against hostile odds and doubting supporters. and for this moral courage they rightly deserve our respect.
politicians on the other hand, just need to make sure their votes don't get them kicked out of office. joe lieberman; 'nuff said.