Think Progress

Gore on Iraq in 1992.

By Nico Pitney on Jun 13th, 2007 at 4:41 pm

Gore on Iraq in 1992.

The right wing is celebrating a newly YouTubed video of Al Gore in 1992 arguing that the policies of Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush had actually strengthened Saddam Hussein. One conservative blogger claims this shows that Gore “flip-flopped” and was a “warmonger.” Steve Benen at The Carpetbagger Report sets them straight.



50 Responses to “Gore on Iraq in 1992.”

  1. Namtillaku says:

    Wow – is that all they have? How desperate.


  2. Grand Moff Texan says:

    Won’t make a difference. Bushtards just make up their own facts, as we see on this blog every day.
    .


  3. Zimzone says:

    Hmmm,
    Cheney stood with BushBoy’s Dad, not invading Baghdad.

    Cheney still defends invading Baghdad with BushBoy.

    In Cheney’s case, this would be a fcuk-flop.


  4. Zooey says:

    They rightwingnuts are too stupid to realize they’re stupid.


  5. raynman says:

    of course those of us who use the internet are going to defend Gore…

    he invented us, remember?


  6. JMOHR says:

    Wow, that is all they need to do great damage. We keep screwing ourselves by thinking that the truth will win in the end. IT WILL NOT.

    Have we not learned anything about the worthless scum that inhabits the right. They do not have intellect, they are willing followers of simple story lines incessantly repeated until it sticks in their little inferior minds. This is what happened to Kerry. This is what will happen to Gore. We have to destroy the Republican propaganda apparatus. Those who continue to spread the lies should be targeted and dealt with in what ever manner is necessary.


  7. Flaco says:

    They leftwingnuts are too stupid to realize they’re stupid.


  8. Zimzone says:

    Gore…he invented us, remember?
    Comment by raynman

    Speak for yourself.

    Wait! I thought it was Intelligent Design?


  9. Namtillaku says:

    They leftwingnuts are too stupid to realize they’re stupid.

    Comment by Flaco — June 13, 2007 @ 4:55 pm

    Careful, you might hurt yourself.


  10. spit take says:

    Yeah, i watched about three or four minutes of the Gore speech and didn’t see anything that could be used as a “Gotcha!”. Maybe there’s a big moment towards the end of teh speech, or maybe, as the Carpetbagger says, the righties just haven’t thought this through. (Hardly a surprise there.)

    I think they’re probably just operating on their binary black/white mode, and in that mode, if Gore criticized Bush for underestimating Saddam THEN, he has to criticize Bush’s SON for THE SAME THING NOW or else he’s a hypocrite — facts and fifteen years of circumstances be damned.


  11. Leporello says:

    Gore signed off on legislature that helped bring the internet to the public. That’s All he ever said. The MSM invented and promulgated the “I invented the internet” myth. He was truthful and factual with that statement. I only wish the current administration knew the definitions of truthful or factual.


  12. unbelievable says:

    of course those of us who use the internet are going to defend Gore…
    he invented us, remember?
    Comment by raynman — June 13, 2007 @ 4:53 pm

    False.

    What Gore actually claimed was that he supported public access and legislation for the internet at the time they were trying to get it publically available. If you’d actually bothered to listen to the interview in context, you’d know that he never claimed to have invented it – but that he helped it become public through supporting it during his terms of public service.

    Just another Conservative lie meant to discredit one of the few honorable politicians to have existed in our era.


  13. Grand Moff Texan says:

    The MSM invented and promulgated the “I invented the internet” myth.

    Considering their audience, like that dumbass troll I argued with for over an hour who can’t count, they can get away with anything.

    They’ve harnessed the power of stupid.
    .


  14. unbelievable says:

    Those who continue to spread the lies should be targeted and dealt with in what ever manner is necessary.
    Comment by JMOHR — June 13, 2007 @ 4:54 pm

    I agree with your post. History has shown that people do not vote in their own best interest – they vote their values.

    Howard Dean learned this lesson well and was responsible for the Democrats speaking their values prior to Nov. 2006 – which helped them win the majorities in Congress.

    We need to make sure we are clear on what liberals stand for – peace, life, family, national security, national medical care and quality education systems. We can’t just be anti-right to win. We have to stand for something, and be loyal to it. Something it seems Hillary is finally learning, and as a result has seen her poll popularity climb over the last few weeks… Among women.


  15. billvb says:

    This is hardly a video to be embarrassed about. It looks to me like Al had it right back then, and he had it right in 2002. Iraq’s situation had changed dramatically by the time the current admin started sabre rattling – Iraq was contained and monitored.

    Far from being a liability, I think Al looks downright prescient, and might I add, presidential here. I wish this guy had been directing our Middle East strategy and policy in the first part of this century instead of the callow opportunists who muddled it so terribly.


  16. TerrytheTurtle says:

    Why is the right-wing noise machine so afraid of Al Gore?


  17. Your Conscience says:

    Wouldn’t the definition of “flip-flopping” be more like havng a vice president champion overthrowing Saddam, after opposing such an overthrow ten years earlier when he was defense secretary?

    “Now, you can say, well, you should have gone to Baghdad and gotten Saddam, [but] I don’t think so. I think if we had done that, we would have been bogged down there for a very long period of time with the real possibility we might not have succeeded.”

    - Dick Cheney, 1996


  18. unbelievable says:

    Americans support an active government that tackles problems, provides services, and aids those in need.

    Americans support increasing the minimum wage and strong unions, and believe the wealthy and corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes.

    Americans support legal abortion and embryonic stem cell research; opinions on equal rights for women and gay Americans have grown dramatically more progressive in recent years.

    Americans support a progressive approach to national security, emphasizing strong alliances and diplomacy over the indiscriminate use of military force. On domestic security issues, progressive approaches to crime and gun control enjoy wide support.

    By enormous margins, Americans favor strong environmental protections, a core progressive belief.

    Americans support energy conservation and the development of alternative fuels.

    Health care – Americans clearly favor universal coverage and are more than comfortable with government solutions to the health care problem.

    http://mediamatters.org/progmaj/


  19. unbelievable says:

    Why is the right-wing noise machine so afraid of Al Gore?
    Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 13, 2007 @ 5:15 pm

    Because they don’t have a dog in the hunt that can beat him. Polls show that none of their rich old white boys can beat him. And because he hasn’t ruled out running yet, they know that he still is a possible threat.


  20. Chris says:

    liberals are such Hypocrites


  21. Perry Logan says:

    Stalin hated liberals. Hitler hated liberals. Rush Limbaugh hates liberals.

    Show me someone who hates liberals and I’ll show you a degenerate.


  22. Jackson says:

    You know I wouldn’t care if he did flip-flop: it’s better to be right than to be consistent. Gore was staunchly against the invasion of Iraq from the very beginning. This man was absolutely livid about it and didn’t give a damn what the right-wing or the press establishment thought of him.


  23. Grand Moff Texan says:

    liberals are such Hypocrites

    Comment by Chris

    See how easy it is?

    Good boy, here’s a cookie.
    .


  24. shane says:

    They leftwingnuts are too stupid to realize they’re stupid.

    Comment by Flaco

    But we’re smart enough to know you guys are more stupid, way more stupid. Scary stupid, really.


  25. lestatdelc says:

    As always, “conservatives” fail utterly to grasp context. The point being that Ba’athist Iraq in 1992 was not the same animal as the 2002 regime.

    During Clinton/Gore and via UN inspections, they de-fanged the Ba’athist regime during the 90s (up to and including missile strikes on remaining suspected sites that Saddam blocked from inspections after years of intrusive, comprehensive inspections and dismantling of programs). In essence Clinton/Gore (and substance) disarmed Iraq of WMDs which, during Regan/Bush 41 gave a wink and a nod too since Iraq was using chemical weapons on “evil” Iranians (and border villages thought to be aiding Iran). After Clinton/Gore got rid of Iraq’s WMD programs and stockpiles in the 90s, Bush 43 faked the threat that Iraq had rebuilt WMD programs (which it hadn’t) and launched a war for oil using terrorism and WMDs as the rationale for it.

    It’s like the “conservative” retards willfully pretend nothing changed on the ground in the intervening decade between Bush 41’s war and Bush 43’s war. Their “thinking” (if you can call it that) are frozen in amber, reality be damned. Faith-based indeed.

    As Carpetbagger said, Gore was right both times, and I would add BushCo and conservatives wrong both times. Spectacularly wrong at that.


  26. lestatdelc says:

    #7 What next, the neener neener defense?


  27. joe says:

    What, you mean people are supposed to change their opinions when presented with significantly different sets of facts? Screw that!

    You won’t catch George W. Bush doing that. The man believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, and it doesn’t matter what happened on Tuesday!


  28. Mr. President says:

    Al Gore… more like…

    AL SNORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Get it? get it?

    You know, ’cause of his monotone voice.

    AL SNORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  29. Flaco says:

    #7 What next, the neener neener defense?

    Comment by lestatdelc
    Yep here is my neener neener.

    2000 election
    Gore failed to win the popular vote in his home state of Tennessee, which both he and his father had represented in the Senate. Had he won Tennessee, he could have won the election without Florida.


  30. yep says:

    Because they don’t have a dog in the hunt that can beat him. Polls show that none of their rich old white boys can beat him. And because he hasn’t ruled out running yet, they know that he still is a possible threat.

    Comment by unbelievable

    You do realize that Gore is a rich old white boy?


  31. TerrytheTurtle says:

    2000 election
    Gore failed to win the popular vote in his home state of Tennessee, which both he and his father had represented in the Senate. Had he won Tennessee, he could have won the election without Florida.

    Comment by Flaco — June 13, 2007 @ 6:12 pm

    That may say more about Tenessee than it does about Al Gore.

    You do realize that Gore is a rich old white boy?

    Comment by yep — June 13, 2007 @ 6:13 pm

    Al Gore’s white? Well f*** me!


  32. TerrytheTurtle says:

    Well enough of this sport…. time to go drink beer and annoy rednecks.


  33. muckdog says:

    Gore is done.

    First, all of his war talk in the late 90’s about how Iraq had WMDs.

    Next, the debunking of the global warming hype.

    Now, a video of him flip-flopping in 1992.

    You can quit Weight Watchers and go sink your jowels in a large combo pizza, Mr. Vice President. You’re done.


  34. spit take says:

    Muckdog, can you please back up your assertions made in post #33 by:

    1) explaining how Gore’s “war talk in the late 90’s about how Iraq had WMDS” somehow disqualifies his voice in public debate? Should he have actually gone to war?

    2) documenting this “debunking of global warming hype” for us?

    3) pointing out what in the 1992 video qualifies as “flip-flopping”?

    Thanks for your help.


  35. shane says:

    That may say more about Tenessee than it does about Al Gore.

    You do realize that Gore is a rich old white boy?

    Comment by yep — June 13, 2007 @ 6:13 pm

    Al Gore’s white? Well f*** me!

    Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 13, 2007 @ 6:20 pm

    Exactly, how dumb does a state have to be to not want to be the President’s home? Of course the NRA was camped out in Tennessee like Chicken Little running around saying, “Gore will take your guns, he’ll take your guns, oh no.” But the folks from Tennessee still had to be pretty dumb to fall for that.


  36. shane says:

    You can quit Weight Watchers and go sink your jowels in a large combo pizza, Mr. Vice President. You’re done.

    Comment by muckdog

    I don’t think Gore was counting on YOUR vote, ever. Why don’t you go play with Trudi or McJowls.


  37. joe says:

    “First, all of his war talk in the late 90’s about how Iraq had WMDs.”

    Uh, yeah, reminding people that Iraq actually DID have WMDs in the late 90s, and the Clinton/Gore administration successfully disarmed them without a single American casualty, sure will doom Al Gore. People aren’t against using the military to keep us safe – they’re against using the military to make us less safe.

    “Next, the debunking of the global warming hype.”

    Uh, yeah, the people who’ve been disgraced because of the decade of global warming denialism are going to convince everybody that there isn’t any global warming, now that the evidence of global warming is so much stronger.

    “Now, a video of him flip-flopping in 1992.”

    Sorry, “you either want to overthrow Saddam or you are a great big Saddam lover” lost its credibility two years ago. It’s only going to be that much easier to ignore next year.


  38. beefeater says:

    Steve Benen set them straight? WHO? Gores little 9 min. video has been viewed 130,000 times on YouTube in 5 days, it is being spread all over the Right Thinking blogs, Drudge, Rush and Hannity are playing the sound bites and Benen has set them straight? Oh we have the internet to refute this. DUMMIE Underground claims 100,000 users (Maybe 2000 active, I know I post there under 4 names myself), I don’t know what TP claims but it looks to be around 100, KOS is crying foul but Benen has set us straight?

    Not to mention that it is all set up by your 2008 candidate Mrs. Bill Clinton.

    Nobody on the Right side of things is worried about the Goreacle, he will implode if he tries to edge Mrs. Bill out.


  39. joe says:

    Oh, look, a silly conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton ruling the world.

    I heard that new Nirvana CD is awesome!


  40. memphis minnie says:

    Al Bore was BETRAYED by Bush 1 for not removing Saddam, then was BETRAYED by Bush II for removing Saddam. What do you really stand for, Al “The Carp” Gore?

    “Now, back in 1991, I was one of a handful of Democrats in the United States Senate to vote in favor of the resolution endorsing the Persian Gulf War, and I felt betrayed by the first Bush administration’s hasty departure from the battlefield even as Saddam began to renew his persecution of the Kurds in the north and the Shiites in the south, groups that we had, after all, encouraged to rise up against Saddam.”
    Al Gore, 2002

    He also said that Saddam had WMD and that Bush didn’t need a UN Resolution to remove Saddam.


  41. beefeater says:

    Oh, look, a silly conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton ruling the world.
    Comment by joe — June 13, 2007 @ 7:29 pm

    Mrs. Bill ruling the world? Hardly, she can’t even run her own life, but running the Democrat Party? Bend over and spread ‘em Joe, she’s your candidate because she deserves it. And you deserve her.


  42. joe says:

    Good luck with Rudy McRomney there, beefeater. I’m not exactly a huge Hillary fan, but it’s going to be fun watching someone running on the Brutish Neanderthal ticket get beat up by a girl.


  43. joe says:

    Yes, memphis minnie, it’s almost as if Al Gore’s opinion changes based on the facts of the particular situation.

    Imagine that.


  44. Myron Bernstein says:

    I think this post is an effort by the Hillary camp (read Mean Spirited SOBs) to subtly plant a negative against the candidate they are fearing. Don’t forget that TP is run by Podesta who is supporting that opportunistic, calculating Be-Otch. Not to worry…Gore/Obama is the winning ticket.


  45. beefeater says:

    Good luck with Rudy McRomney there, beefeater
    Comment by joe — June 13, 2007 @ 9:02 pm

    Whoa there, back up the truck! There isn’t a Repub or Dem, running right now, that I would vote for. 300 million people in this country and this is the best we can do? Crap, just crap!


  46. unbelievable says:

    You do realize that Gore is a rich old white boy?
    Comment by yep — June 13, 2007 @ 6:13 pm

    Old is debatable… He’s only in his 50s

    Besides, the right only has rich old white boys while the left has a pastiche of diversity. He hasn’t associated himself with JUST rich old white boys…

    Comprendez-vous?


  47. unbelievable says:

    Wow! Look at all the mouth foaming the trolls are doing over Gore! Boy you trolls give away your fears so easily… You’re all attacking him because you know that he can beat any of your candidates. He’s already beating them and he hasn’t even entered the race yet! LOL


  48. Harry Truman says:

    Perhaps Owl Gore was not smart enough to know what he was saying : )


  49. Greg says:

    so was Gore lying or telling the truth? just answer that with no partisan BS as the hype filled fear mongering left is prone to do.


  50. Greg says:

    I knew nobody would answer that.



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