Help w/bothersome email sent from snooty Repub aunt

[booksenkatz]

My aunt is so arrogant, she makes the Bush family look positively humble. She sent this mail to my mother to rub my Democratic family's nose in it. I did a search here at DU for "marching orders" and didn't find any thread on this, so please forgive me if this is the 875th thread on this topic. I need help refuting this NOW, and I will gladly accept flames and eye-rolls from people who've been through this topic before.

Basically, the email is entitled "Bush's Marching Orders on Iraq," and it lists quote after quote from Dem leaders (mostly during the 1990s) about how Saddam is a threat to us all and possesses WMDs, etc. My bitch aunt ends with, "Surely these quotes can't all be lies, can they?" Arrrrrgh, she's such a Republican...!

I'm not sure how to refute this, but I must, because I cannot let this particular aunt get away with this. Were the Dem reps basing their statements on the lies and misinformation fed to them by intelligence? The only things I can think of to say at this point are:

1. At least the Clinton administration didn't act on this intelligence in such a way that resulted in the wholesale destruction of our international reputation and the unnecessary loss of life. George the Ignorant wanted to go to war over it, and he did. The buck stops with him.
2. How nice that you Repubs care all of a sudden about what we Dems think. I had no idea that Bush would accept his marching orders from Senator Clinton!

I've never yet posted a "help me" thread, but this is an email that I did not solicit from this person (she sent it to my mom), and if ANYONE needs to be put in her place, trust me, it's Aunt JoAnn. She's a rich, arrogant North Texas bitch.

[demnan]

1. Well if truth be told

a lot of Democrats do believe this to be true, even today, including Lieberman. Hey, I'm the last one to tell you that Democrats are always right.

But it's what is done in a situation is what counts. And the Republicans can't argue away the shape of our military today.

As for your Aunt I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's been my experience that you can't pursuade your family members too much politically if they're that convinced. Someday you just might find a friendship with a rich aunt useful.

[booksenkatz]

8. Well, I know you're right

I know I can't persuade her, but man, I can't let her have the last word on this. My mom has suddenly become openly political with the family this week after years of silence (to keep the peace). She finally got tired of sitting quietly, not voicing her Dem views, in the face of several aggressive Repub siblings. Her idea of "let's agree to disagree and not talk about politics" wasn't working with this group. I am so utterly proud of my mom for her coherent email "explosion" this week that shut up so many of those assholes, I wrote and told her how proud I am to call her Mom. I don't want my mom to lose her momentum and get caught off balance by this snooty email, know what I mean?

[sendero]

2. Tell her....

.. "just because something was true at one time does not mean it is true forever. For example, you were once an attractive, intelligent young lady. Look at you now"..


Ok, that's too mean and I'd never say that to anyone. But sometimes these freep types really set me off with their absurd non-sequitur points.

[booksenkatz]

6. ROTFLMAO

Oh, if you only knew how beautifully that line would play to this she-devil. I will put it in my arsenal and have it ready. LOL

[Alpharetta]

3. I usually say

sure looks desperate, using Democrat quotes to justify Bush's screw-up.

That's all you have to say. The rightwingers will argue tooth and nail that WMD have been found and the bad guy Saddam who maybe had something to do with 9/11 is out of power. Don't bother with arguing with the hardline Bushies about what color the sky is -- the undecideds can figure out whether Iraq was a screw-up or not.

[TeacherCreature]

4. I'd ask her why sending republican spam is more important than her

relationship her family. Then I would ask her either to quit sending it or stop communicating altogether.

[booksenkatz]

10. Good one!

This is generally a very peaceful family on my mom's side, but there are a few sibs that have been stirring things up. My mom finally had to respond this week after years of silence because she just couldn't take it anymore. It's sad how much of a uniter Bush isn't.

[papau]

5. In the 90's the CIA could not confirm WMD destruction - and folks

indeed did say that given time Saddam would develope WMD including Nuke.

But that is not why the US goes to war - since they apply to a lot of countries.

The "marching orders" were UN Inspections - and Bush refused the World's request for 60 more days of inspections - the inspectors were back in Iraq - - finding nothing of course - when Bush pulled the plug on the Clinton approach - namely inspections.

The embargo that Bush41 had slapped on - which prevented clorine causing an estimated 500,000 deaths - had seemed to have done its job and folks wanted it either lifted or limited to items that were related to nukes.

Bush could not accept the embargo change.

So he stamped his feet, smiled with angry smirks, and killed 25000 Iraq women and children - civilans we call them - plus a 1000 of our own troops plus perhaps 10000 Iraq military - as he gave Osama a free reign to attack us again.

[booksenkatz]

11. Beautiful

Where would I be without DU at a time like this. I frankly never kept up with the Iraq issue during the 1990s and am desperately trying to educate myself now.

Thanks again.

[Sparkly]

7. Snopes provides context

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/wmdquotes.asp

As others have said, some of these quotes were five years old when the Chimp decided to invade, the situation was contained, and there are no quotes of Democrats calling for immediate invasion of Iraq as the only alternative as if we'd exhausted all other avenues.

[booksenkatz]

9. Damn, I couldn't find this at Snopes

I looked up "marching orders" and the search came up empty. Thanks for this page!

[snippy]

12. I always respond to this the same way.

I ask:

"How many mad men invaded Iraq based on this information while Clinton was president?" and

"How many mad men invaded Iraq based on this information while Bush was president?"

Sometimes the republican says that "9/11 changed everything," to which I respond:

"Then why did Bush instruct the National Security Council seven months before 9/11 to prepare for an invasion of Iraq? Are you saying that Bush knew 9/11 was going to happen?"

[izzie]

13. If some corp. could make money off Saddam they were for him.

Then what ever the polls say the congressmen will go for. Not much pride in congress and big business. I swear most people hate Carter so because he had some pride in what he said and did. Made him a bad President.It is like being in a gang. You all do the evil so you all will be alike.

[SEpatriot]

14. And just for fun...

Send her a copy of this photo:

[Kahuna]

15. A little logic is in order. Just because Saddam was a supposed

threat in the 90s doesn't mean he was still a threat in 2002? Hey Auntie. Things change. Since the 90's we had weapons inspectors and "Desert Shield" (if that the name of the bombings under Clinton?) and sanctions.

[SuffragetteSal]

16. Bush a divider not a uniter

Once again your story proves not only globally but personally that Bush and Company has done nothing but divide the good people of this country, brother against sister, aunt against niece, family members against family members. Now why would anyone want a leader that divides and not unites?

On my mother's side there are 10 sisters and 2 brothers. There is a division among them. In fact, they ganged up on my lovely 77 year old Democrat aunt at a family gathering and from what I heard, some of them wanted to ask her to leave. It is so sad to see what one drunken, pretzel choking, egotistical madman has done to this country.