The Anderson Debate

"Is More Absolute?

" 'It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is' - President Clinton

"At Time, Mark Halperin reminds us that Mr. Clinton said he supported the War in 2003. On April 14, 2003, Clinton praised President Bush:

" 'In his first speech in Minnesota since leaving office, former President Bill Clinton on Sunday praised President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. But he criticized Bush's domestic priorities and urged the administration to offer North Korea aid and a pledge of nonaggression in exchange for an end to that country's missile and nuclear weapons programs.' [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 4/14/03]

"On May 19, 2003, the Associated Press reported Clinton said he supported President Bush:

" 'Former President Bill Clinton accused President Bush of spending more time fighting the war on terrorism than on domestic issues during a commencement speech at Tougaloo College. 'I supported the president when he asked for authority to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but we can't be forever strong abroad if we don't keep getting better at home,' Clinton said Sunday to a crowd of about 8,000 . . . The Bush administration, Clinton said, 'is still focused on defeating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and that's good, but not good enough. The power of our example is just as important as our military might.' '

"Clinton may have questioned the timing of the invasion, but Clinton didn't oppose it 'from the beginning.' "

At the Carpetbagger Report, Steve Benen can't defend the ex-prez:

"The problem, of course, is that Clinton has a reputation for trying to straddle the fence on contentious questions, hoping to be 'all things to all people.' The 'from the beginning' reinforces the narrative -- and takes Sen. Clinton's campaign off-message . . .

"I don't doubt for a second that Bill Clinton is wildly popular, and a real asset to his wife's presidential campaign. But he's going to have to be disciplined on the stump."

Liberty Pundit is a tad harsher:

"I've always said that Clinton is a poll-based politician, that he never was for or against an issue until he saw how the public perceived it. Make no mistake, if the public were totally for the war today, he'd be standing there saying 'oh, yeah, I was always for it!' And what's really crazy is that people on the left who look at this man as their liberal icon or like he was some kind of hero don't seem to get that fact."