I have a lot of respect for Ambassador Joe Wilson for having blown the whistle on Bush's false pre-war intel. I also hold Valerie Plame Wilson in high esteem for her service as a CIA NOC and having withstood the Bush-Cheney slime machine that outed her as a covert agent. So I took notice when these two national security experts endorsed Hillary Clinton over Obama.
Joe has repeatedly articulated reasons why Hillary would be the best choice as president, which you can read: his column, Smears and Tears: National Security Week Turned Into the Mendacity of Hype, his post, Obama's Shallow Credentials on National Security Are Dangerous for the Country, and an interview and podcast of Joe and Valerie by Taylor Marsh in which Wilson criticized Obama on Iraq and Pakistan. An excerpt from the last link:
I ended by asking Joseph Wilson about Iraq and given that Clinton and Obama have the identical voting records in the Senate, what does he make of the political volleying, with Obama trying to make an issue out of his speech versus Clinton's vote on the Iraq war resolution. After all, Joseph Wilson was in the eye of the storm.
"Well, I think the fact that's dominated the narrative is an indication of how little people really understand the dynamics of the debate as it was going on at the time. And the people making a lot of hay over this weren't there. I was there. I was fighting the fight. I looked to the left of me. I looked to the right of me. I didn't see Barack Obama anywhere. I was out there and there is nobody who can deny that. ... I didn't talk to Edwards about it because he was a co-sponsor of that particular resolution, whereas a lot of us were trying to fight for more restrictive language. Being in the minority, you couldn't get that restrictive language at that time. So what happened the day after the bill was passed? Hillary Clinton and Robert Byrd went down and submitted another bill which further restricted, attempted to restrict the ability for the president to act. But in actual fact, those who were there [at] the debate will remember that the American people and the U.S. Congress were sold on this resolution not because the president wanted to go to war, because he said publicly, I do not want this resolution to go to war. I want this resolution so I can get to the United Nations and get intrusive inspections. That's what Colin Powell said. That's what the president of the United States said and that's what they got. They got a resolution that permitted the president of the United States to go to the U.N. and get intrusive inspections. The great betrayal of the America people is not in that Resolution. It was in the president not allowing the inspections to reach their natural conclusions. [He] short circuited the process. That is the betrayal of the country. That is the betrayal of the Congress. That's the betrayal of the American people. That's the betrayal of the world. People who don't remember that are trying to spin this for their own particular short-term partisan interest and they should not be allowed to get away with it. The most important thing of course now, that aside, ... is what is it going to take to get out of there in a way that, one, protects our national security interests, which has been terribly compromised in the region. ... .." [Italics added.]
Continuing their support, Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson affirm Hillary offers the "strongest plan" to end the war via a new ad running in WV and OR.
Transcript:
JOE: We challenged the Bush Administration when they wouldn't tell the truth about weapons of mass destruction. And they tried to destroy us for speaking out.
VALERIE: Ending the Iraq War means a lot to us and that's why we're supporting Hillary. She has been a leader in pushing the administration for a serious exit strategy.
JOE: And Hillary has the strongest plan for bringing our troops home... starting within 60 days.
VALERIE: If you care about ending the war, we urge you to join us in supporting Hillary Clinton for president.
JOE: She'll get the job done.
UPDATE: Joseph posted comments from Josh Marshall readers that viciously smear Joe and Valerie. Once upon a time, the Left Blogosphere, which has morphed into the Obamasphere, adored them for their stand against the Bush Administration. No more:
Screw him and his wife.
The Wilsons are just disgusting CESSPOOL dwellers
Hillary's second major Republican endorsement after Rush.
At least she doesn't trash Obama or mention that only white people care about ending the war.
I know they're hacks and are loyal to her husband...
they are a test case that suffering is not ennobling--if you love your reflection more than your country. Their behavior since has shown them to be limelight-loving partisan hacks
Joe Wilson was one of the expeditors of Bush I's Iraq turkey shoot and the subsequent "1,000,000 Iraqi dead are worth it" sanctions. And his wife was a friggin' CIA agent, for chrissakes, making the world safe for US vampire capitalism. Of course, they would support Ma Scorpion. That's what the Clintons do -- put a happy face on barbarism.
If these readers represent Barry's new coalition, woe to liberal Democrats.
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