Reply #81: She voted for the IWR because Bush was going to attack Iraq anyway .

[pnwmom]

He had already announced that he had an opinion from his Attorney General that gave him legal cover for attacking Iraq -- or anywhere that "harbored" terrorists -- even without Senate approval (without any IWR). Many Democrats thought this was a terrible precedent to set, and so Biden, Lugar, and Hagel met with the White House to draft a COMPROMISE IWR that would limit Bush to Iraq, and that set some other conditions that he was SUPPOSED to meet before he attacked Iraq.

There was nothing the Democrats could have done to stop him. All the Democrats could do was to vote against an IWR, and then to impeach him -- but this would have been a toothless impeachment because there wouldn't have been enough votes for conviction. Or some of the Democrats could join with the Rethugs to pass a compromise IWR, with at least some restrictions.

I don't blame those Democrats who thought it was important not to set a precedent where a President could take the country to war, without Senate approval, without serious sanctions. I didn't blame Biden then, and I don't blame Hillary Clinton now.