Fox’s Chris Wallace Grills Rubio on His Iraq War ‘Flip’

[jct74]

Fox’s Chris Wallace Grills Rubio on His Iraq War ‘Flip’

by Evan McMurry | 10:37 am, May 17th, 2015


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBDSytIf_LQ


In perhaps the closest cable news has ever come to a genuine Abbott and Costello bit, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace attempted to get an answer out of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) over whether he would have invaded Iraq, and also who was on first.

Wallace repeatedly asked Rubio whether he would have invaded Iraq knowing what he knows now, and Rubio continued to answer according to the intelligence available in 2002. They went around this loop about half a dozen times.

“It was not a mistake for the president to have invaded Iraq based on the intelligence he was presented,” Rubio said, a virtual repetition of the oopsy-daisy his state-mate Jeb Bush made during an interview with Megyn Kelly last weekend, jumpstarting this whole thing.

“Presidents don’t have the benefit of hindsight,” Rubio finally said. “You have to make difficult decisions based on the information that’s before you at that moment.” Could describe some awkward cable interviews, too.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/foxs-chris-wallace-grills-rubio-on-his-iraq-war-flip/

[jct74]

Marco Rubio Struggles With Question on Iraq War

by Patrick Healy
May 17, 2015

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida struggled on Sunday to give clear answers about whether it was a mistake for the United States to go to war against Iraq in 2003, becoming the latest Republican presidential candidate to trip on the wisdom of the military invasion.

Under a barrage of questions from Chris Wallace of Fox News, Mr. Rubio repeatedly said “it was not a mistake” for President George W. Bush to order the invasion based on the intelligence he had at the time. But Mr. Rubio grew defensive as Mr. Wallace pressed him to say flatly whether he now believed the war was a mistake. Mr. Rubio chose instead to criticize the questions themselves, saying that in “the real world” presidents have to make decisions based on evidence presented to them at the time.

...

At one point Mr. Rubio, in discussing the importance of hindsight on the Iraq war, raised a recent boxing fight to make a point. “Based on what we know, a lot of things — based on what we know now, I wouldn’t have thought Manny Pacquiao was going to beat, uh, in that fight a couple weeks ago — — ” Mr. Rubio said before Mr. Wallace interrupted.

The back-and-forth resulted in a two-minute video clip that Republican opponents could use against Mr. Rubio in the future, given that he came across as a politician used to debating fine points and nuances in the United States Senate — a problem that then-Senator John Kerry faced in his presidential run in 2004 — rather than as a seasoned leader used to giving clear statements and sound bites. Mr. Rubio’s readiness for the presidency has been questioned among some Republican voters, given than he is a 43-year-old first-term senator, and moments like the boxing reference seemed discordant on a subject like the Iraq war.

...

read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/05/17/marco-rubio-struggles-with-question-on-iraq-war/

[Jan2017]

"a virtual repetition of the oopsy-daisy his state-mate Jeb Bush made during an interview with
Megyn Kelly last weekend, jumpstarting this whole thing."


Both media machines - Fox and MSNBC - calling out Rubio on this . . .
Of course no surprise about MSNBC and Maddow especially . . .

Rubio steps in Jeb Bush's Iraq quicksand
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/rubio-steps-jeb-bushs-iraq-quicksand

"Even Marco Rubio has no use for Bush’s line, as evidenced by this exchange yesterday with Charlie Rose:

ROSE: Let me talk about Iraq and an issue that came up yesterday with Jeb Bush talking about the invasion, looking back.
He was asked the question by Megyn Kelly and he said he misunderstood the question. So I`ll ask you the question that I think
she intended to ask which was if you look at the Iraq war, after finding out there were no weapons of mass destruction, would you,
if you knew that, have been in favor of the Iraqi invasion?

RUBIO: Well, not only would I not have been in favor of it. President Bush would not have been in favor of it.


What’s wrong with this position? Actually, nothing. It’s a perfectly sensible answer that puts the Florida senator
in line with the American mainstream.

The trouble is, Rubio said pretty much the opposite just six weeks ago.
. . .
The entire debate has become a political quicksand for Jeb Bush. His fellow Floridian appears to be stepping in it too."

[Sola_Fide]

I hope Rand makes something of this.

[hells_unicorn]

This is a golden opportunity for Rand Paul to not only call into question the disingenuous character of both Rubio and Bush, but also to point out to everyone that in contrast to them, how Lindsey Graham is part of the lunatic fringe. It's time to re-frame the debate so that it is them that are crazy, not us, which is tantamount to making the truth mainstream.

[milgram]

RUBIO: Well, not only would I not have been in favor of it. President Bush would not have been in favor of it.
Has GW Bush actually recanted the invasion? I've only heard him say things like "history will judge me."

I cringe every time I hear phrases "knowing what we know now" and "faulty intelligence" being used to duck responsibility. The warmongers moved heaven and earth to find any pretense for an invasion. Even if people were earnestly duped, the conclusion would be that they are gullible idiots unfit for high office.

[Peace&Freedom]

Has GW Bush actually recanted the invasion? I've only heard him say things like "history will judge me."

I cringe every time I hear phrases "knowing what we know now" and "faulty intelligence" being used to duck responsibility. The warmongers moved heaven and earth to find any pretense for an invasion. Even if people were earnestly duped, the conclusion would be that they are gullible idiots unfit for high office.

EXACTLY! If they really believed there were only "mistakes" this or "faulty" that (instead of systematic deceptions), WHO made those mistakes, and WHO is at fault? Since Jeb has admitted that 17 of his 21 foreign policy advisors worked for GW Bush, doesn't that show he's bringing back in the same "gullible idiots" who blew it the last time? Isn't that like hiring the guy who just crashed the Amtrak 188 to advise you on train safety?

Rubio will undoubtedly bring in the same robohawk people, should he win the election. This just shows GOP warmongers have learned nothing, admit to nothing, and apologize for nothing concerning past military interventions. That likely means they will "mistakenly" say yes to all new interventions, thus cannot be trusted to take back the White House.

[JohnGalt1225]

Rubio may be a young man but his ideas are dated.

[FreedomProsperityPeace]

We'll see if FNC makes hay out of this during the week. That was 10x as combative as any interview Rand did.

Lost in the hubbub was the fact that Rubio doubled down on his immigration reform stance. He still feels the same, just "the votes aren't there". I was hoping he'd be dinged for that some more.

[nikcers]

I hope Rand makes something of this.

I'm so sad that the daily show is going to be off this week. I can already imagine what their writers are setting up for when they come back on.

http://www.youtubedoubler.com/?video1=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv% 3DaBDSytIf_LQ&start1=100&video2=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3 DMK6TXMsvgQg&start2=0&authorName=snoopsagan

[randomname]

I think Rubio handled this quite well actually, you have to wonder if this doesn't help rather than hurt him with the warmongering base?

[twomp]

Hopefully Rand Paul doesn't let this issue fade away. All he has to do is point to Iraq and say, "look at it now!" Most rational people will nod their heads.

[dude58677]

The beginning of the end of the establishment.:) It's fun seeing it collapse!

[r3volution 3.0]

I hope Rand makes something of this.

He needs to emphasize that the "mistake" has absolutely nothing to do with WMD or the lack thereof. It's about the chaos that replaced Saddam.

ala...

"I can understand that intelligence failures happen, sure. I won't hold the former President responsible for the fact that the intelligence on WMD turned out to be false. But that's beside the point anyway. The fact is that Saddam's heavy hand was the only thing holding Iraq together, and removing him would inevitably result in chaos and civil war. ISIS came out of that chaos. Our problems now are a result of that chaos. This was not only entirely predictable, it was in fact predicted by many critics of the war. President Bush and all the members of Congress who voted for the bill, including Hillary Clinton, made a terrible mistake and should have known better."

[nikcers]

Hopefully Rand Paul doesn't let this issue fade away. All he has to do is point to Iraq and say, "look at it now!" Most rational people will nod their heads.


https://youtu.be/0YOh-rpvjYg?t=1m

[teaparty]

You people have no idea how hard the establishment is going to fall...LOL... the jeb bush tumble didn't happen by itself.

[adelina]

The beginning of the end of the establishment.:) It's fun seeing it collapse!
There is still Walker. This guy is a far bigger problem than Rubio.

[Henry Rogue]

Give Rubio the opportunity to make a fool of himself, He won't disappoint.

[HankRicther12]

To me it's even an argument that is skipping a big step which is this: What would it matter if Saddam DID have those Chemical Weapons, I still do not see how that would have justified an invasion and occupation that lasted 10yrs, cost 10's, 100's of thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars. Saddam wasn't a nice guy, but what leader is? This whole argument over WMD's is just a distraction from the bigger issue of our govts constant meddling in things that are not our business.

[Jan2017]

Hopefully Rand Paul doesn't let this issue fade away. All he has to do is point to Iraq and say, "look at it now!" Most rational people will nod their heads.

I like how Rand brings in the analogy with Libya (very smart imho) - an interesting point that they gave up their WMD / nuclear program,
and yet the O'Bomber Administration with Madame Secretary Clinton took them out -
future diplomacy a little stickier now perhaps, but not unsolvable with a new Administration/Party in the WH (?).

And I do not recall any formal war powers resolution with Libya - before or after - (I could be wrong)
Bush DID have the Congress ok the Iraqi War Resolution Act of 2002

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo161/sunblush/bushconrgress009b_zpsecnjtoij.jpg (http://s372.photobucket.com/user/sunblush/media/bushconrgress009b_zpsecnjtoij.jpg.html)
President George Bush, surrounded by leaders of the House and Senate,
announces the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States
Armed Forces Against Iraq, October 2, 2002.

Only one GOP Senator out of 49 voted against it - Sen. Chafee (R-RI), as did the only independent Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Wyden (D-OR) was among the 21 of 50 Democrat Senators voting NO as well.

6 out of 223 (<3%) of GOP Representatives voted against the resolution: Reps. Duncan (R-TN), Hostettler (R-IN), Houghton (R-NY), Leach (R-IA), Morella (R-MD), and of course Ron Paul (R-TX).

[juleswin]

Some people just don't know when they have been defeated. The neocons like Rubio are an embodiment of such attitudes. They should be made to write

The starting the Iraq war was a mistake

A 100x

[jct74]

here's a funny mashup of the exchange w/ Wallace



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1xTbbOHaI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1xTbbOHaI

[Suzanimal]

LOL!!!

"Was it a mistake to go to war with Iraq?" ~ Wallace

"But I don't understand the question you're asking" ~Boobio


here's a funny mashup of the exchange w/ Wallace



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1xTbbOHaI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1xTbbOHaI

[Jan2017]

here's a funny mashup of the exchange w/ Wallace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1xTbbOHaI




. . . perhaps the closest cable news has ever come to a genuine Abbott and Costello bit


LOL - This exchange could be game for an SNL skit (Saturday Night Live) or if any of the late night talk shows get on it.

[jct74]

It is funny how people rave about Rubio as some kind of great communicator but every interview I see him in he looks stiff and awkward, fumbles his words, never smiling and comes across as kind of a smug douche.

[Suzanimal]

It is funny how people rave about Rubio as some kind of great communicator but every interview I see him in he looks stiff and awkward, fumbles his words, never smiling and comes across as kind of a smug douche.

Looks fine to me...
*sips water

http://i.imgur.com/ypyRowG.gif

http://i.imgur.com/1qw013Y.gif

[Suzanimal]

And he smiles...

http://i.imgur.com/2bwE3Mm.png

Nothing awkward there.