Rove's Version of Iraq War Vote Disputed

Both Democrats And Republicans Say Former White House Advisor Made False Claim About 2002 Vote

(Washingtonpost.com)  This article was written by Peter Baker.

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Former White House aide Karl Rove said yesterday it was Congress, not President Bush, who wanted to rush a vote on the looming war in Iraq in the fall of 2002, a version of events disputed by leading congressional Democrats and even some former Rove colleagues.

Rove said that the administration did not want lawmakers to vote on a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq that soon because it would "make things move too fast," before Bush could line up international allies, and politicize the issue ahead of midterm elections. But Democrats and some Republicans involved with the issue at the time said yesterday that Bush wanted a quick vote.

The fresh clash over the five-year-old vote made plain how political leaders on all sides are trying to shape the history of that moment. Former president Bill Clinton this week asserted that he flatly opposed the war from the beginning, a contention challenged by a former White House official who briefed him at the time. Some presidential candidates, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), have portrayed themselves as more skeptical than others recalled.

Speaking on PBS's "Charlie Rose" talk show last week, Rove said Congress pushed to have the vote before the election. "The administration was opposed to voting on it in the fall of 2002," Rove said. Asked why, he said:

"Because we didn't think it belonged within the confines of the election. There was an election coming up within a matter of weeks. We thought it made it too political. We wanted it outside the confines of it. It seemed to make things move too fast. There were things that needed to be done to bring along allies and potential allies abroad."

Democrats accused him of rewriting history. "Either he has a very faulty memory, or he's not telling the truth," said ex-Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.). In an interview, Daschle said he asked Bush during a breakfast to delay the vote until after the election. "They told us time was of the essence and they needed the vote and they were going to move forward," he said.

Steve Elmendorf, chief of staff to then-House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), said it would not benefit Democrats to vote before the elections. "That does not ring true to me," he said of Rove's remarks. "I can't imagine why it would be in our interest to do that."

Rove repeated his assertion in an interview yesterday, pointing to comments made by Democrats in 2002 that they wanted a vote. "For Democrats to suggest they didn't want to vote on it before the election is disingenuous," he said. The vote schedule, he said, was set by lawmakers. "We don't control that."

News accounts and transcripts at the time show Bush arguing against delay. Asked on Sept. 13, 2002, about Democrats who did not want to vote until after the U.N. Security Council acted, Bush said,

"If I were running for office, I'm not sure how I'd explain to the American people - say, 'Vote for me, and, oh, by the way, on a matter of national security, I think I'm going to wait for somebody else to act.'"

While some Democrats urged delay, news accounts reported that some party leaders wanted a quick vote to move the issue off the front burner and leave several weeks before the election to focus on pocketbook issues that they felt would be more advantageous. Daschle said Sept. 17 on PBS that he expected a vote "sooner rather than later." Two days later, Bush sent a proposed resolution to Capitol Hill, saying: "We've got to move before the elections."

Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary at the time, said Daschle had pressed Bush over the summer to bring the matter to Congress but for consultation, not necessarily a vote. Bush decided to seek a vote authorizing force, Fleischer said. "It was definitely the Bush administration that set it in motion and determined the timing, not the Congress," he said. "I think Karl in this instance just has his facts wrong."

Former White House chief of staff Andrew H. Card Jr. was asked on MSNBC yesterday about Rove's comments but told only that Rove asserted Democrats pushed Bush into war. Card laughed and said that "sometimes his mouth gets ahead of his brain." Card later said that he had not actually seen Rove's interview and was simply reacting to the host's mischaracterization.

After being sent Rove's comments, Card said he did not want to argue with him. He said he recalled much discussion in the White House about whether it was wise to seek a congressional vote before deciding it would demonstrate American unity. But asked if the White House opposed having the vote before the election, he said, "I don't remember that. I don't remember it being done in the context of the election."

[bareemperor]

9/II = CIA false flag op?

Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act = Constitution Burned?

Proposed SB 1959 = Institutionalized hatred and fear?

C''mon, babyboomers - you stopped these same tyrants before, it''s time to act once more.

Remove the traitors before 9/III

[tyjohn47]

Karl Rove has a different version of the Iraq War vote?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I don''t believe it. Karl wouldn''t try to lie right in the faces of the very people he bs''d would he?

He didn''t lie...it was just....bs! That''s all.

Please see the sarcasm in this post.

[ianlou]

Carl Rove is a Pork Product.

[mudrose-2009]

Never mind, mudrose - debating you is like trying to teach a pig to dance ... all I get is an irritated pig. You don''''t provide answers, you just attack. You don''''t have hard data - you just attack. You can''''t justify this war, or your President''''s addiction to spending - you just attack. Maybe O''''Reilly needs a sidekick. You''''d make an excellent ventriloquist%u2019s dummy.
posted by nokoolaid

Attack what? Answer what. Is that the best you can do. If there was an intelligent commentary, maybe I would respond with a substantive answer. Pigs are very smart animals. Seems to me you misunderstand them as well.

[mudrose-2009]

Yeah, so is the Woodstock Museum. - mudrose

That''''s the best you got? The national debt is the result of 1 million for a museum that celebrates a generation of Americans promoting peace and brotherhood, vs billions for a war that divides a nation, makes the world hate us and kills Americans?
C''''mon - you can do better. Or if you can''''t, at least admit it.
Posted by nokoolaid

Yeah, the promoted peace and brotherhood alright. Drugs, ***, and booze. They promoted their own peace and brotherhood. Hendricks, one of the best guitarists of his century, Joplin best rhythm and blues singer of her century died of drugs. The 60s generation, the Herbert Marcuse crowd do your own thing and if it feels good do it and when the troops came home from Nam they spat at them. Yeah, I''m all for a Museum to honor the pigs.

[mudrose-2009]

Those families won''''''''t have their loved ones home because their loved one''''''''s volunteered to be in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Posted by mudrose at 12:16 PM : Dec 03, 2007

No they did not volunteer to go to Iraq they were sent. They volunteer to defend the US constitution.
Posted by antoniof123

Many enlisted to go to Afghanistan and Iraq. Please don''t paint our troops as victims.

[mudrose-2009]

Yes, mudrose, I have to admit, your President is very consistent %u2013 in spending the surplus Clinton left behind %u2026 the national debt is expanding at the rate of about $1.4 billion a day, nearly $1 million a minute. The debt now comes to about $30,000 for every living American. It will have nearly doubled under President Bush''''s watch by the time he leaves office. And this is from FOX noise %u2013 so it must be true, right?! And please don%u2019t give me %u201Cwars cost money%u201D as an argument %u2013 your pork barrel president didn%u2019t veto one spending bill when the GOP held Congress.
Posted by nokoolaid

Yeah, so is the Woodstock Museum.

[yongamerica]

NEVER CALL CARL ROVE A HISTORIAN.
The only government that has changed history to their liking more than Rove is China

[antoniof123]

Those families won''''t have their loved ones home because their loved one''''s volunteered to be in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Posted by mudrose at 12:16 PM : Dec 03, 2007

No they did not volunteer to go to Iraq they were sent. They volunteer to defend the US constitution.

[mudrose-2009]

My mistake %u2013 mudrose - I tried to be civil, but you, as usual, dive head first into the shrill name-calling cesspool. Your President didn%u2019t initiate anything %u2013 he REACTED to a terrorist attack by invading a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with 9/11. (Insert Rove lie here). While he may keep changing the reason many American families won%u2019t have their loved ones%u2019 around this Christmas due to being killed in his unholy war, the fact that he keeps shifting the rationale should give pause to even his most strident supporters.
Posted by nokoolaid

Those families won''t have their loved ones home because their loved one''s volunteered to be in Afghanistan and Iraq. You can kiss lardasses azz as much as you want. Bush has been consistent. Clinton never is, never was, and never will be. He sold this country out. About the only thing he''s done well is play his Saxaphone.

[mudrose-2009]

Mudrose - well, Bush is a bigger liar than Clinton - then you can do his entire administration alphabetically if it%u2019s easier. But yes, Clinton does lie, and he is about his support of the war. I%u2019m no Bill or Hillary fan %u2013 he%u2019s only a good President in contrast to %u201CW%u201D.
Posted by nokoolaid

See, now that''s were you''re off course. Clinton was not a good President. He could lie his way into making you believe just about anything. If I''ve said it onece I''ve said it a 1,000 times. Clinton sold us out to China. He gave China our technology. Why don''t you go look up his Doctrine of Multipolarity. See, Clinton believed in Regime Change in Iraq. The old fat *** didn''t have the grit to do anything about it. All he every did was pay lip service so you would think he''s doing something. Bush had to b/alls to confront terrorism where the Fat *** never could and never would.

[mudrose-2009]

Haaa ... thanks, mudrose - I needed some comic relief this morning. Rove doesn''''t lie - that''''s so funny!
Posted by nokoolaid

Happy to oblige. Especially while Clinton is going around town tauting how he opposed the Iraqi war. Now if that isn''t a big fat wopping lie and who really lies better than Clinton. No, Rove didn''t lie.

[b-easy63]

"Stay the course? I never said to stay the course....my administration was never about saying stay the course..."

"We will hunt down Bin Laden no matter where he is, and he will be brought to justice...."No, I don''t know where Bin Laden is and frankly, I don''t spend much time worrying about it" ...."I can assure the American people and especially the survivors of 9/11 that finding Bin Laden and bringing him to justice is our number one priority"...."Honestly, we just don''t see finding Bin Laden as a priority in the war on terror"

"The fact that the President spoke on yellowcake after the CIA already discredited the source is the fault of a speech writer, not the President"

"Of course there could be no wiretapping of American citizens, you know, because uhm, there would need to be a warrant...so we don''t do that...."


ENRON, USAG,CIA agent, 9/11, Katrina, Jeff Gannon, Cheneys emails, Rove''s emails, Harriet''s emails, anyone in the whitehouse''s emails, the RNC emails...all a matter of national security, so we won''t show ya...
ENOUGH SAID.

[mudrose-2009]

?Rove4 Lied? People died...
Posted by rokero0666

Clinton sat on his big/fat/azz and 3,000 people died not to mention WTC I, the African Embassies, USS Cole. Dimnowits always looking for an excuse the blame the other guy.

[mudrose-2009]

Rove lied, and this is supposed to be news.
Posted by firststate

Of course it''s news. Rove doesn''t lie.

[mudrose-2009]

Have any of you ever seen the horrid, white maggots that feast on carrion? Rove makes them go %u201Cyuk.%u201D
Posted by psy_war

Yawn.

[watcher269-2009]

This country is being run like Enron was - by a bunch of Texans who just want to Cheat everyone for money bucause they don''t give a ***** about anyone.

These so called leaders are bankrupting America like they did Enron and they will get away with it because of the uncaring people who refuse to get involved in politics.

Say goodbye to America as we know it.

Next thing you know the republicans will want to re-name the United States of America to the United States of Texas.

[firststate]

Rove lied, and this is supposed to be news.

[the74blaster]

Karl Rove is a has been and needs to go crawl into a hole somewhere.

[tocnwth]

This is the lying administration in history of the country. They lie from the top to bottom.
I would not trust anyone connected in anyway to this administration.