Axelrod is a liar and even when he isn’t bald-faced lying you need to carefully scrutinize his words.
Note how he doesn’t defend Hillary at all!
Note how he said “...there was no declaration on the president’s part that he made that decision on a political basis.”
No, no “declaration”; whatever that means. But he did it just the same. It was about opposing Bush, even beyond the waters’ edge, to get votes and smear opponents. This type of despicableness leads to things like Fast and Furious gun selling to Mexican drug cartels, Benghazi diplomat abandonment to their deaths, and wanting to bomb Syria when the whole world only wants to know the truth...
He does't consider it 'his war'.