Via Twitchy, we see two story threats. First we have
.@realDonaldTrump: Saddam Hussein killed terrorists; "Now Iraq is Harvard for terrorism" https://t.co/UYpqI3w42L https://t.co/2NbkKdvalM
— CNN (@CNN) February 15, 2016
Not so much. As Jonah Goldberg noted in responding to many, well, let’s charitably call them idiots, Saddam was a big supporter of Middle East terrorism. He paid families to send their kids off to be suicide bombers in Israel. There were numerous terrorism training camps within Iraq, many which were found during the 2003 invasion. He celebrated 9/11. He tried to kill George HW Bush. He harbored Abu Nidal, Abu Abbas, and, let’s not forget Al Qaeda member Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The 9/11 Commission mentioned all the terrorism and terrorist support by Saddam. In all fairness, this didn’t mean he actively supported al Qaeda, but, he did support terrorism. We could discuss this ad nauseum, but, at this point, you surely know the whole story.
Which leads to this (video at the link)
Former VP Dick Cheney on @realDonaldTrump attacking decisions made by Bush admin: He sounds like a liberal Democrat to me, Bret. He's wrong.
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) February 15, 2016
He does. He’s reminding me of what James Delingpole calls “watermelons”, who are environmentalists who are “green on the outside, red on the inside”, a reference to all the socialists/communists and their supporters who decided to move into environmentalism as the Soviet Union collapsed. Trump seems red (Republican) on the outside, but is apparently blue (Democrat) on the inside. Why do so many of his positions end up having Dem endings? He wants to build a border wall? Yay! And once the wall is built he’ll give “touchback” amnesty, for which the touchback will never happen? Boo. Now he’s going 9/11 Truther and talking up Saddam Hussein. He’s yammering about the Iraq War in the exact same manner as Democrats.
The establishment right is upset that Trump is telling the truth. No “true Republican” would say such a thing about Mr. Bush.
Of course, Bush was President when 9/11 occurred, and there were other terrorist attacks post 9/11. So no, Bush did not “keep us safe”. So what? Was Bush negligent regarding 9/11? No.
Did he mislead us into invading Iraq. Sure. He figured rightly that Hussein was a bad guy, no one would object to his demise and invading would do several things good for Bush’s Presidency: Stimulate the economy, look good to people (as long as things went quickly and well) for “doing something” to terrorists, send a message to other “bad guys”, reward his contractor supporters, and make him a wartime President. Unfortunately, the long term impacts were catastrophic for the US, killing and maiming brave Americans, costing in the low trillions (added to the debt), destabilizing the middle east further, lowering the image of the US. That decision alone is why he falls in the bottom third of Presidential rankings. (His Neanderthal view of economics doesn’t help his standings either).
Hussein hated Iran and he hated al Qaeda and had nothing to do with 9/11. Hussein supported middle East terrorism against Iran and Israel.
Maybe Trump’s plan is to become more and more moderate, run on a third party ticket, taking votes from Hillary and getting Rubio elected.
Saddam did pay the families of suicide bombers however his payments were dwarfed by the payments made by our allies Saudi Arabia Qatar and Kuwait
Saddam killed Abu Nidal
The biggest Arab supporter of terrorism iare the Saudis
Of course we can overlook that when they were supporting terrorists that fought people we didn’t like such as the Russians or the Iranians
You used to cheer when Reagan supported the brave mujaheddin, now not so much
This significantly raised my appreciation of Trump. Conservatives were stuck with Bush as he had two main, significant talents. One, he wasn’t Gore, two, he wasn’t Kerry. Otherwise he was a died in the wool liberal who gave lip service to abortion and put the scum Roberts on the Supreme Court. Now, as to support in the war, conservatives will always back their country in time of crisis where as the liberals will look to improve their political and financial positions at such time and to hell with the national effort. Thus, we were stuck with defending the stupid actions of the Bush administration. So, yes, he should have organized the administration after the horrible Clinton years, just as the next president will have to clean up the crap left by Obama. In doing so, it would have become apparent that the Clinton watch had allowed terrorist into our country that were bent on evil. So, he could have stopped the Towers attack and is thus culpable in not correcting the mistakes of Clinton. As to the war in Iraq, any one with half a brain would have known that the best option would have been to get Iraq and Iran at each other again. That is the way of the Middle East and it ain’t going to change, ever.
Trump sounds like a liberal Demonkrat because he has been one all his adult life.