Dean: Brutal Ruler Doesn't Justify Force

AP/Newsday ^ | 11/7/2003 | KATE McCANN

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Dean: Brutal Ruler Doesn't Justify Force

BY KATE McCANN Associated Press Writer

November 7, 2003, 4:34 PM EST

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said Friday that the use of U.S. military force is not warranted simply because a nation is ruled by a despot.

The front-runner said he supported the war to oust the Taliban in Afghanistan, and backed President Clinton's decision to send troops to Bosnia and Kosovo during the 1990s because force is sometimes necessary to stop genocide.

That was not the case in Iraq, said Dean, a staunch opponent of the war.

"I do not believe force is justified simply because we think someone is a brutal dictator," he told about 1,000 high school students, a reference to former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

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By Dean's theory, we should never have fought Hitler and just let him finish the genocide of Jews, let Pol Pot continue to kill in Cambodia, and let the Soviets continue to oppress Russia and the Eastern Bloc.

Yup, Dean really stands up for liberty.

Isn't there ANY Democrat out there who is so thoroughly embarassed by his party that he's willing to speak some common sense?!?

[Leatherneck_MT]

Zell Miller

[exit82]

Mr. Dean, what genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo?

[colorado tanker]

There was no evidence Hitler had anything to do with Pearl Harbor. Therefore, according to the Duck we shouldn't have declared war on Germany.

[Unam Sanctam]

How is this any different from Kosovo from a humanitarian perspective?

[dead]

The front-runner said he supported the war to oust the Taliban in Afghanistan, and backed President Clinton's decision to send troops to Bosnia and Kosovo during the 1990s because force is sometimes necessary to stop genocide. That was not the case in Iraq, said Dean, a staunch opponent of the war.

For every death Milosovich was responsible for, Hussein was responsible for a thousand.

What Dean is basically saying is that he doesn’t support sending US troops into battle unless ordered to by Paris.

Good luck selling that idea outside of a Democratic primary, Deano.

[Reactionary]

Stange, the wonderful liberals were all about that "brutal ruler" thing when they decided to bomb the Serbs from 20,000 feet.

[sticker]

What about Haiti? What was billyboob trying do there?

[tkathy]

What about the aspirin factory???

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Idiot politician doesn't deserve vote

[smith288]

American Metrosexual presidential candidate chooses appeasment over protecting America.

[Jack Black]

Did they ever find any evidence of the Serbian genocide? What was it, 2000 people total? Now that's a very bad thing, for sure, but Saddam's rule resulted in over 1 million dead. (Iran/Iraq war, Kurdish gassing, Swamp Arab killings, Shiite uprising, Invasion of Kuwait, not to mention day to day terror killinngs). And he was just getting started, obviously Israel was the big prize.

Dean is a mental midget. If he's elected I'm moving (to the high mountains of Wyoming and BLOATing furiously HA !)

[vbmoneyspender]

I guess we should go back hat-in-hand to the British Empire now that Howard Dean has given George III a pass on his conduct that led to the American Revolution.

[Prime Choice]

To fully appreciate Dean's stance, let's read between the lines of the ringing endorsement that Chris Matthews gave him...

[goldstategop]

Exactly. We should never ever fight someone who threatens America and its allies with weapons of mass destruction. And of course, Saddam Hussein's genocide against the Kurds and Shiites over his three decades in power are old history. America must never advance the cause of freedom anywhere. No I don't think Nikita Dean really understands the true significance of 9-11 to the American people. Sure, there's an on-going terrorist threat in Iraq and the main reason it exists is cause the Democrats can't be counted to defend our country's interests when they're under fire. We now have living proof of why the Democrats shouldn't be trusted with the White House in 2004.

[nothingnew]

Good luck selling that idea outside of a Democratic primary, Deano.

When I listen to Deano, I always need some Beano.

FMCDH

[Prime Choice]

Good one! Politics sure makes for strange bedfellows, eh? ; )

[Polybius]

There was no evidence Hitler had anything to do with Pearl Harbor. Therefore, according to the Duck we shouldn't have declared war on Germany.

Well, to be fair, it must be pointed out that Hitler declared war on us first.

[jgilbert63]

One wonders if he would feel the same way if his wife and members of his family were brutalized by Hussein and in one of those mass graves. Even the remote chance that this clown could be POTUS is too scary to even contemplate.

[blitzgig]

What a load of cr*p. He certainly had no problem with Clinton sending troops to Bosnia and launching a bomb raid over Belgrade for no reason except humanitarian. So when it comes to a tyrant who is not only brutal but is also a danger to world safety, we can't do anything? Screw him.