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Kucinich on Iraq: Clairvoyant

Posted: 01/01/12 02:30 PM ET

Under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. military occupation of Iraq ends today. As the war in Iraq finally draws to a close, here is a quick quiz. Who said the following, and when, and where?

"There is no world support for invading Iraq."

"There is no proof that Iraq represents an immediate or imminent threat to the United States... The Administration has refused to provide the Congress with credible intelligence that proves that Iraq is a serious threat to the United States, and is continuing to develop chemical and biological and nuclear weapons."

"The Iraq regime has never attacked nor does it have the capability to attack the United States."

"There is no credible intelligence that connects Iraq to the events of 9/11 or to participation in those events by assisting al Qaeda... There is no connection between Iraq and the events of 9/11... There is no credible evidence that Iraq harbored those who were responsible for planning, authorizing or committing the attacks of 9/11."

"There is no credible evidence that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction."

"Congress has not been provided with any credible information, which proves that Iraq has provided international terrorists with weapons of mass destruction."

"Unilateral action against Iraq will cost the United States the support of the world community."

So, who said this? Me? No -- I wish it were me. It was Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

And when? On October 2, 2002, six months before the War in Iraq began.

And where? On the Floor of the House, and in a letter to his colleagues in Congress.

Was it clarity? No, it was more than clarity. It was almost clairvoyance.

At a time when almost every public figure in America was hoodwinked and bamboozled by Bush Administration propaganda, Dennis Kucinich was not. Dennis Kucinich saw the truth, and he said the truth. And Congressman Kucinich followed through, doggedly opposing the war in Iraq from alpha to omega.

Take my word for it: Congress is full of replaceable parts. But Dennis Kucinich is not one of them. Congressman Kucinich is unique.

We need Dennis Kucinich in Congress.

Courage,

Alan Grayson

P.S. Now Dennis Kucinich is in the toughest race of his 15-year career in Congress. The Republicans have tried to gerrymander him out of Congress. Please click on this special ActBlue link, and make a contribution to Dennis Kucinich's campaign today.

 

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Under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. military occupation of Iraq ends today. As the war in Iraq finally draws to a close, here is a quick quiz. Who said the following, and w...
Under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. military occupation of Iraq ends today. As the war in Iraq finally draws to a close, here is a quick quiz. Who said the following, and w...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
wayne the pain
06:10 PM on 01/02/2012
Dennis Kucinich is a great example of what America does to a real liberal. Kucinich is a very bright rational person. When he talks he makes sense and his ides would be great for America. This bright and sincere man has been made a national joke. While we will listen for hours to the insanity of Bachmann, Santorum, Palin, and Paul, Kucinich and his ideas get no or very little coverage. Even Obama's previous press jerk belittled Kucinich at one of his press conferences. This is evidence that the national press is so biased to the right that a real liberal voice is ridiculed and give little exposure. To Obama's shame he has piled on to help the Republicans attack Kucinich and his liberal ideas.
09:31 PM on 01/02/2012
I sense you need to hear this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py8cXlLyX18

or this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ojbOd4HPVc

What say ye now?????
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
jmpurser
See My micro-bio
04:49 PM on 01/02/2012
Sadly, there were A LOT of voices pointing this out about Iraq.
06:47 PM on 01/03/2012
Yes. What about Dennis Kucinich's opponent Marcy Kaptur?
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04:37 PM on 01/02/2012
Kucinich was right this time. He isn't always right but he usually speaks his mind. This is rare in a politician. I would vote for him. Bush started this war on falsehood, fought it on falsehood and left it on falsehood. What standards do we hold our politicians to? Now on to the next thing!
We can only learn from our mistakes if we confront them. WE [the US.] are conditioned and responsible for sweeping our mistakes under the rug. How can we improve if we don't confront ourselves, and publicly examine our actions and results.
Good luck Dennis keep speaking your truths, we citizens should be able to handle truth, if we don't our future will degenerate into false failing direction and we will disintegrate.
02:51 PM on 01/02/2012
Ted Kennedy also voted against the Iraq war resolution. Ron Paul also voted against, the lone repub. When your President and his administration says things like they have WMD's and are an eminent threat, and scare people with "mushroom clouds" you used to have no reason to believe he's not giving it to you straight up. Why Pelosi said that there would be no investigations into the lead up of the Iraq war, she has to be hiding something also.
10:55 AM on 01/02/2012
The UN weapons inspectors were in and out of Iraq for a decade finding and destroying weapons.
The munitions and weaponry from the Gulf war that remained by 2003 was uncared for and way past its shelf life.
Why the Democrats and the UN and Europe chose to buy into Bush's lies I cannot fathom.

But the entire excuse for a decade long war that destroyed and slaughtered huge swaths of Iraq, was a crock of Bush shit.

If you bought it, you wear it in down through the pages of history.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Rowsdower
I'm Rowsdower. Zap Rowsdower.
04:43 PM on 01/02/2012
The Democrats most likely didn't buy what Bush was trying to sell them, but they realized that challenging Bush too forcefully would be interpreted as un-American behavior (at least in the short term). Kucinich was right, and I love the guy, but how big a slice of America considers him of presidential caliber?

Let's put it in perspective. In 2002, Saxby Chambliss was able to beat incumbent Max Cleland for being too soft on defense and not patriotic enough. Cleland had lost both legs and one arm in Vietnam, and had won Silver and Bronze stars, while Saxby had dodged the draft like your standard issue Republican. That's how insane public sentiment was at the time. That's how necessary it was for Democrats to play ball just to keep their seats.
10:49 AM on 01/02/2012
Kucinich and and Sanders are what Democrats and Liberals should be.

Clone those two elect the whole lot and the US would be saved from itself.
08:38 AM on 01/02/2012
You are right Congressman Grayson to bring this profile in courage to our attention. Thank You.
07:38 AM on 01/02/2012
Kucinich "saw the truth and said the truth." Yes, that's why he might well lose this race. That's why you lost two years ago. Most American voters are totally ignorant about foreign policy (and nearly everything else) and they hate having to hear the truth. They much prefer the candy-coated patriotic fantasies that Republicans dish out. That's why the weird group competing in the Republican primary are still being taken seriously instead of being laughed off the national stage. And that's pretty scary.
12:13 AM on 01/02/2012
Like Dennis Kucinich, I thought it was very obvious that Bush was cooking up all sorts of reasons to invade Iraq. Kucinich was one of the only politicians who was honest and forthright in saying so, as did Obama. I hope he is re-elected, as he is one of the few true progressives left in Congress.
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nikanj
free the fnords
11:59 PM on 01/01/2012
I disagree about when the Iraq war started.
Has Poppy Bush's Iraq war fallen completely and conveniently down the memory hole ?
As far as I'm concerned, the Iraq war started the day I saw fighter planes overhead --
leaving Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, destination Iraq. That was August of 1990.
(Iraq's 'invasion' of Kuwait was greenlighted by our own ambassador to Iraq, April G.,
who told Saddam that the US has 'no interest in border squabbles with neighboring countries'.
And I think there was something about Kuwait drilling sideways under the border for oil ?)

During the subsequent 'war' the United States bombed Iraq's water treatment facilities,
among other heinous acts. (Don't even get me started on the use of Depleted Uranium
weapons). Then we enforced draconian sanctions, supposedly against the regime,
but the results were endured by the citizens. This went on all through the 1990's.

It is more accurate to say that Sonny Bush's war was the Iraq War, Continued.
And why anyone fell for it, I have no idea.
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AlfredE69
Occupy Election '12: Vote 3rd Party
07:01 PM on 01/01/2012
Too bad Mr Kucinich does not run against Obama since the democrats should have an anti-war candidate. All the best sir.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
bacaja
05:33 PM on 01/02/2012
Hear, Hear.
06:10 PM on 01/01/2012
You lost your bid for re-election to a GOP, I can see why now.
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AlfredE69
Occupy Election '12: Vote 3rd Party
07:03 PM on 01/01/2012
Did you find Saddam's nucular weapon?
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04:03 AM on 01/02/2012
Becuase sections of the American population can't handle the truth?
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04:19 PM on 01/01/2012
How can we get you to run for President Congressman?
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03:53 PM on 01/01/2012
Why people chose to believe a conman like GW Bush and his henchmen is not clear. The Democrats were largely scared of being branded unpatriotic by the liars of the right wing. Did the right wing know they were lying? I posit that most of them were well aware of the truth but will never admit it. One could also argue that right wingers are never bright enough to differentiate between truth and lies but that is difficult to stomach. We know they adore being lied to by their leadership, their pundits as well as the paid spokesliars of right wing media.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Abenormal
Hope is the last thing to Loose
06:34 PM on 01/01/2012
Can't let the truth get in the way of a good war, or in this case a bad war.
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05:43 AM on 01/02/2012
When profits are on the horizon, a few thousadn dead and maimed must not be allowed to obstruct collecting those profits.
12:32 PM on 01/02/2012
I think most Americans were bamboozled because of the climate at the time. 9/11 scared everybody, and when people are scared, they are easily manipulated. And this is what happened. And Bush pretty much said" if you are not with us, then you are the enemy" People were afraid to speak up, because then you were the 'enemy'. The Bush Adm. did a great job at scaring and keeping people scared. And the old adage: 'if a lie is told often enough, people will believe it as truth.' Of course they knew they were lying. The truth would never have allowed this stupid war to happen.