Reply #19: And on 11/24/02 Gore said he wouldn't have voted to authorize

[AlGore-08.com]

(11/24/02 was after Congress voted to authorize but before the invasion)

http://web.archive.org/web/20030217082353/www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/21/MN58265.DTL

Gore bashes Bush's record
Possible prelude to candidacy
by Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief

(snip)

For the first time, Gore -- who was one of the few Democratic senators to vote in support of the Gulf War in 1991 -- said he would have voted against authorizing the White House to use force against Saddam Hussein had he been a member of Congress last month.

(more... )

As the previous poster said, Gore's first major speech specifically about the second Iraq war was "Iraq and the War On Terrorism" given 9/23/02 - - a little over two weeks before Congress authorized the invasion. But, of course, since it was while Congress was debating what the resolution would be, he did not say flat out "I would vote against it". Instead, he urged Congress to vote against it.

Keep in mind that back at this time (September through November 2002) Gore was still actively considering a 2004 Presidential run - - and was the Democratic front runner by a very large margin. The invasion was an extremely popular idea, and the Republicans had already started their "Only traitors oppose invading Iraq" b.s. Gore had everything to loose by opposing the war, but he did it anyway.

He has consistently opposed the war ever since that September 2002 speech.