This weekend, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts suggested that the President could no longer be unconditionally trusted if he called for future military action.
“I think a lot of us would really stop and think a moment before we would ever vote for war or to go and take military action,” Sen. Pat Roberts (Kan.) said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Given the White House’s current argument that those who took the President’s pre-war statements about Iraq at face value are equally at fault as the administration, Congress has every right to be weary of trusting the President in the future. Here’s a question every defender of Bush needs to answer: Would you trust the President’s word if he sought a resolution for future military action?
Below are some examples of Bush’s congressional allies who urged critics of the war to trust President Bush on Iraq.
Rep. J.D. Hayworth: “I don’t believe the president is trying to deceive anyone or dissuade anyone. People can trust the word of the president of the United States. He makes a compelling case that we cannot trust Saddam.” [Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, 10/7/02]
Former Rep. Joe Skeen: “Rep. Joe Skeen, a Picacho Republican, said some of the issues involved are necessarily secret. ‘He (Bush) knows more about the situation in Iraq than probably anyone else in the world. And he’s not about to tell Congress everything he knows,’ Skeen said. ‘So you have to know he’s playing some of his cards close to his chest this time. I know him and I trust him. So I support him.‘” [Albuquerque Tribune, 10/11/02]
Former Majority Leader Dick Armey: “The House voted 296-133 in favour of a resolution giving Mr Bush the right to launch a military strike, even without the backing of the United Nations. ‘Mr President, we are about to give you a great trust,’ said the House majority leader, Republican Dick Armey.” [Independent, 10/11/02]
