Gerald Ford: "Iraq war wasn't justified"

[Cypress]

Ford Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq

By Bob Woodward
Washington Post Staff Writer

Former president Gerald R. Ford said in an embargoed interview in July 2004 that the Iraq war was not justified. "I don't think I would have gone to war," he said a little more than a year after President Bush had launched the invasion advocated and carried out by prominent veterans of Ford's own administration.

In a four-hour conversation at his house in Beaver Creek, Colo., Ford "very strongly" disagreed with the current president's justifications for invading Iraq and said he would have pushed alternatives, such as sanctions, much more vigorously. In the tape-recorded interview, Ford was critical not only of Bush but also of Vice President Cheney -- Ford's White House chief of staff -- and then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who served as Ford's chief of staff and then his Pentagon chief.

"Rumsfeld and Cheney and the president made a big mistake in justifying going into the war in Iraq. They put the emphasis on weapons of mass destruction," Ford said. "And now, I've never publicly said I thought they made a mistake, but I felt very strongly it was an error in how they should justify what they were going to do."

In a conversation that veered between the current realities of a war in the Middle East and the old complexities of the war in Vietnam whose bitter end he presided over as president, Ford took issue with the notion of the United States entering a conflict in service of the idea of spreading democracy.......





http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/27/AR2006122701558.html

 

[Cypress]

"The interview was embargoed until after Ford's death."


I gotta admit: this was pretty cowardly of Ford. He should have come out against the war when it mattered - when he was alive. He put the interests of the GOP and Bush, above the interests of the country.

 

[maineman]

"The interview was embargoed until after Ford's death."


I gotta admit: this was pretty cowardly of Ford. He should have come out against the war when it mattered - when he was alive. He put the interests of the GOP and Bush, above the interests of the country.

and this surprises you???

 

[Jarod]

Ford was a reasonable man. Reagan would have said the same thing had he been with us, mentaly.

 

[Damocles]

Ford was a reasonable man. Reagan would have said the same thing had he been with us, mentaly.

I agree. However, I do not believe he would have publicly trashed a sitting President...

The idea that Ford should have done what both Clinton and Carter didn't and is a "coward" or something because of it is a bit overreaching. Neither of them were speaking up on this at the beginning either.

 

[Cypress]

I agree. However, I do not believe he would have publicly trashed a sitting President...

The idea that Ford should have done what both Clinton and Carter didn't and is a "coward" or something because of it is a bit overreaching. Neither of them were speaking up on this at the beginning either.

CNN: January 31, 2003:

Carter: Iraq threat does not justify war

Former president calls for 'sustained' inspection team


http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/31/sprj.irq.carter/

 

[Damocles]

CNN: January 31, 2003:

Carter: Iraq threat does not justify war

Former president calls for 'sustained' inspection team


http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/31/sprj.irq.carter/

Yaay.. And Clinton?

It's all good.

I was against it before Carter.. Amazing. Of course, I was for an entirely different reason. And I said something.

I still say I doubt that Reagan would trash a sitting President. He didn't with Clinton even when he had faculty.

 

[Cypress]

Yaay.. And Clinton?

It's all good.

I was against it before Carter.. Amazing. Of course, I was for an entirely different reason. And I said something.

I still say I doubt that Reagan would trash a sitting President. He didn't with Clinton even when he had faculty.

Clinton, is his typical weasly way, said he would have let inspections go on longer, but he supported Bush anway. Pretty weasly.

I don't understand this business about "trashing" the president. What, are we worried about bruising his poor little ego? This was about a disasterous war, not some tax cut, or arms-deal with saudi arabia.

I think this war would have been stopped before it started, if ALL the ex-presidents had done something when it mattered: if Carter, Poppy, Clinton, and Ford had come out publically against the war, it may never have happened.

I don't care if it "trashed" the chimps ego.

 

[Damocles]

Clinton, is his typical weasly way, said he would have let inspections go on longer, but he supported Bush anway. Pretty weasly.

I don't understand this business about "trashing" the president. What, are we worried about bruising his poor little ego? This was about a disasterous war, not some tax cut, or arms-deal with saudi arabia.

I think this war would have been stopped before it started, if ALL the ex-presidents had done something when it mattered: if Carter, Poppy, Clinton, and Ford had come out publically against the war, it may never have happened.

I don't care if it "trashed" the chimps ego.

I agree. There has been a long tradition of former Presidents remaining quiet on the sitting President's Administration regardless of errors. Nixon could have gone on and on about Carter, so could have Ford. Reagan could have gone on and on about Clinton, and so on...

Personally I was against the war from the beginning, and I don't even think we should have entered Afghanistan without a Declaration of War...

I believe that the Declaration was supposed to protect us from just such votes. Like Kerry and his "I thought he was just going to use it for a prod" garbage. If I could see before the vote it was a "war" vote, he most certainly could too....

I imagine the votes would have gone very differently if people had to take responsibility for it, if it were a Declaration. Politicians don't like taking such strong positions without incontrovertible evidence... especially weaselly ones.

 

[uscitizen]

Naah Regan could not have gon on and on about Clowntoon. Regan was mentally incompetent when he left office. Unless you believe that his oldtimers did not hit until after he left office ?

 

[bob]

i hard that there was a tape... i think i would like to hear it

 

[Damocles]

Naah Regan could not have gon on and on about Clowntoon. Regan was mentally incompetent when he left office. Unless you believe that his oldtimers did not hit until after he left office ?

Even if he was in it, there are large moments of lucidity during the beginning stages of that disease.

He definitely had, for a time, the ability to go on and on about Clinton had he wished. Just as Nixon and Ford could have.

 

[uscitizen]

Even if he was in it, there are large moments of lucidity during the beginning stages of that disease.

He definitely had, for a time, the ability to go on and on about Clinton had he wished. Just as Nixon and Ford could have.

Only if it was on Regans teleprompter. You see I know someone who used to run the teleprompter for Regan.....

 

[Cypress]

He definitely had, for a time, the ability to go on and on about Clinton had he wished. Just as Nixon and Ford could have.

Doubtful. Reagan was diagnosed with full blown alzheimers shortly after clinton took office. Reagan never again spoke publically. I don't even think he was seen in public after 1993 or so.

Nixon died in 1994, after Clinton had barely been in office a year. Nixon was mostly in seclusion. He was a criminal, and bascially secluded himself in his mansion on the california coast.

Ford? The moderate republican Ford probably had more in Common with the Moderate democrat Clinton, than ford did with the wingnut TheoCons in the GOP running congress. I think Ford was even against the impeachment of clinton.

 

[Damocles]

He definitely had, for a time, the ability to go on and on about Clinton had he wished. Just as Nixon and Ford could have.

Doubtful. Reagan was diagnosed with full blown alzheimers shortly after clinton took office. Reagan never again spoke publically. I don't even think he was seen in public after 1993 or so.

Nixon died in 1994, after Clinton had barely been in office a year. Nixon was mostly in seclusion. He was a criminal, and bascially secluded himself in his mansion on the california coast.

Ford? The moderate republican Ford probably had more in Common with the Moderate democrat Clinton, than ford did with the wingnut TheoCons in the GOP running congress. I think Ford was even against the impeachment of clinton.

I was... I guess you'd call my libertarian behind "moderate"...

However Ford could have. Even with "more in common" there would be policy issues that they would differ on. Pretending that it isn't uncommon before Bush took office for past Presidents to comment on current administration policy is just purposeful misremembering.

Attempting to slither out with "well that one had this, this one had that" garbage doesn't mean that Nixon couldn't comment on such issues. Maybe he was a "coward" or something...

 

[Cypress]

Seriously, what area's of substantive policy and clinton's stewardship of the presidency, was Gerald Ford gonna run to the podium to publically denounce? The 1990s were a great decade. Possibly the peak of american power, wealth, and influence.

Even the bush republicans weren't attacking clinton's policies and stewardship of the country in the 2000 election. They made virtually that whole election about returning "dignity and honor" to the oval office.

 

[uscitizen]

I think the thing of note here is that previous presidents spoke out against Bush , thereby breaking a long tradition. What does that say about Bush ?

 

[Damocles]

Seriously, what area's of substantive policy and clinton's stewardship of the presidency, was Gerald Ford gonna run to the podium to publically denounce? The 1990s were a great decade. Possibly the peak of american power, wealth, and influence.

Even the bush republicans weren't attacking clinton's policies and stewardship of the country in the 2000 election. They made virtually that whole election about returning "dignity and honor" to the oval office.

Seriously, with the growing partisanship in DC you don't think that he could find something?

Once again, pretending that there wasn't a longstanding "tradition" of former presidents remaining quiet on current administrations is simply purposeful misremembering.

You don't think Ford could possibly never have found a single thing wrong with Carter's policy? Nothing at all wrong with Clinton's? Eisenhower could find no wrong with the policy of his successor (Kennedy) and so on? Come on... Honestly, without the new partisanship level this suddenly more popular policy would still be in waiting to rear its ugly head. Attempting to run the nation by Press release after your time in office is simply bad form.

 

[Damocles]

I think the thing of note here is that previous presidents spoke out against Bush , thereby breaking a long tradition. What does that say about Bush ?

It says he took office during a time of extreme partisanship. Ford didn't speak out that is the theme. Though he disagreed, he had an agreement with that Wash Post dude not to publish his remarks until after his death. That guy stuck with that agreement.

It is simply not good to attempt to continue to run the nation by Press release after your terms have expired. Let the current politicians handle it, it is THEIR job.

 

[Cypress]

I think presidents should have an opinion on War. Especially a war that many experts warned was going to be dangerous, destabilzing, and would undermine american interests.

I don't blame Carter for publically stating his opinion on that.

Frankly, considering how incompetent the Chimp is, Bill Clinton has been very generous to him. Even (sort of) standing by him on Iraq. Face if Damo: Bush is probably the worst american president in this century, and has blundered us into the worst foreign policy disaster in the countries history. Carter, Ford, and Clinton damn well better have an opinion on that.