Gordon Smith says Iraq war may be "criminal" [R-Oregon]

Associated Press ^ | 12/8/2006 | MATTHEW DALY

[anglian]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, who voted in favor of the Iraq war and has supported it ever since, now says the current U.S. war effort is "absurd" and "may even be criminal."

In a major speech on the Senate floor, the Oregon senator called for changes in U.S. policy that could include rapid pullouts of U.S. troops from Iraq. He said he would have never voted for the conflict if he had known the intelligence that President Bush gave the American people was inaccurate.

Citing the hundreds of billions of dollars spent and the nearly 3,000 American deaths, Smith said: "I for one am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that anymore."

Smith added: "So either we clear and hold and build, or let's go home."

A spokesman said Friday that Smith did not mean to call the war criminal in a legal sense, but in the sense of it being ridiculous or absurd.

In his speech, delivered Thursday night in an impassioned voice, Smith said there are no good options in Iraq, as the Iraq Study Group noted in its report this week.

Smith, who is up for re-election in 2008, said he was "at a crossroads" on the war, adding: "I want my constituents to know what is in my heart, what has guided my votes."

He said the U.S. military's "tactics have failed," adding that he "cannot support that anymore. ... We have paid a price in blood and treasure that is beyond calculation" for a war waged based on faulty intelligence.

Smith added that he is "tired of paying the price of 10 or more of our troops dying a day. So let's cut and run or cut and walk, but let us fight the war on terror more intelligently than we have, because we have fought this war in a very lamentable way."

While expressing grave doubts about the Iraq war, Smith said he does not believe the United States can retreat from the larger war on terror.

"Iraq is a battlefield in that larger war. But I do believe we need a presence there on the near horizon at least that allows us to provide intelligence, interdiction, logistics — but mostly a presence to say to the murderers that come across the border: 'We are here, and we will deal with you.'"

But Smith added: "We have no business being a policeman in someone else's civil war."

A potential rival of Smith's in the 2008 election shrugged his shoulders Friday when pressed for reaction to the speech.

"Better late than never," said Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon after speaking to the City Club of Portland.

Blumenauer, who opposed the war, has said he will make a decision next year on a possible Senate bid. He said he was less concerned with taking Smith to task than in a "broader context" of seeing the Congress oversee conduct of the war and in holding Republican senators who would stand for election in 2008 accountable for their decisions on it.

[johniegrad]

Don't know anything about this individual but it sure sounds like campaign season has begun for him. I guess he thinks his new position is more electable based on the recent outcomes.

[anglian]

sO TRUE. I can imagine him watching Saving Private Ryan and running away sobbing after the Normandy invasion scene.

[Erik Latranyi]

The Senate is now full of liberals and RINOs because conservatives stayed home on election day.

[leadpenny]

You think there's a chance he is saying what he really believes? Just maybe?

[saganite]

Looks like an opportunity to get rid of another RINO in '08.

[gotribe]

Oregon pubs are like Ohio pubs: RINOs. Look at what Pryce said recently about embracing the dems and moving to the center. They just want their seats of power. As a result, Smith will be back on the family ranch next year.

[BARLF]

I think I'll move to Israel.

[dc-zoo]

Not a chance.

[johniegrad]

You think there's a chance he is saying what he really believes? Just maybe?

Could be. The article is slanted in such a way as to make it appear as an election issue when maybe it isn't. Or it could be just a cynical attempt to pick up votes with the old John Kerry "I voted for it before I voted against it" ploy.

[Coldwater Creek]

Strange, our everyday military people are very supportive of the war!

[TN4Liberty]

A spokesman said Friday that Smith did not mean to call the war criminal in a legal sense, but in the sense of it being ridiculous or absurd.

I thought the war was criminal before I thought the war wasn't criminal? This happens so often anymore, we should have That's-what-I-said-but-that's-not-what-I-meant alerts.

[edpc]

He said he would have never voted for the conflict if he had known the intelligence that President Bush gave the American people was inaccurate.

I'm so sick of this.

Saddam did support terrorism. Just a couple of examples from the web.

Hussein pays $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers.

The Fedayeen Saddam was not part of Iraq's regular armed forces but rather operated as a paramilitary unit of irregular forces. The Fedayeen reported directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the army chain of command. The Fedayeen were not an elite military force, often having been poorly trained and without heavy weapons.

The Fedayeen were among the most loyal organizations to the government of Saddam Hussein and were a politically reliable force against domestic opponents. The Fedayeen conducted widespread campaigns of assassination and intimidations, as well as organized smuggling and other illegal efforts along Iraq's borders. They committed some of the most brutal acts while the Ba'athist regime was in power in Iraq.

Chemical weapons were found.

Since 2003, coalition forces recovered 500 chemical-weapons munitions in Iraq. Apparently, some of the shells contained sarin and others mustard gas. More shells are expected to be recovered.

These weapons were ignored by the MSM and referred to as harmless and degraded. I would invite the same critics to visit one of these sites and enter a bunker of these 'degraded' munitions without protective gear. I bet they wouldn't do it.

[Manic_Episode]

Weak minded fool fell for the Jedi mind tricks.

He's no leader, he's a follower of the most shallow sort.

He may as well just stand up to the mic and say "BA-A-A-A-A-A".

[Puddleglum]

What an oportunistic dunce.

[sgtbono2002]

Just another useless piece of meat Senator bailing out on the President. Its become the thing to do.

The next two years are going to be tough. The Democrats may have a minor majority of numbers ,but when you count in the RINO's their majority gets much larger.

[DCPatriot]

Smith said: "I for one am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that anymore."

Smith added: "So either we clear and hold and build, or let's go home."

Totally agree.

The Iraqi War has become like that hill you take on Tuesday, and give up on Thursday, to control again on Sunday.

Jesus...how hard could it be to round up all fighting age males that have no obvious paying jobs. Put them in re-education camps and let them out piecemeal..with tatoos on their asses.

Anyone found committing terror with said tatoo, gets a round behind the ear.

NEXT!!

/s

[Peach]

And we're watching the results of a Republican majority that didn't understand the importance of fighting back against the Democrat's lies.

It's going to be ugly and we'll suffer the results for a lifetime.

[DCPatriot]

Hi Peach...

IMO, Smith is upset that our soldiers are patrolling the same real estate day in and day out...in effect, being police instead of soldiers.

That is NOT what our brave soldiers should be doing. They should do what they're trained to do....kill people, break things, and then rebuild.

Political Correctness run amok...when panties on a head is considered torture.

[Peach]

Hi, DCPatriot. I see we agree 100% about the Abu Graib made-up scandal. When we start calling humiliation torture, we've already lost the war, imo.