Was the mistake about W.M.D.s in Iraq Bush's fault?

Question

We say that the "buck stops w/ the President; but doesn't at least part of that "buck" stop w/ the Democratic Senators who voted for the war?
If we allow the excuse that the Senators were lied to, then shouldn't we allow that excuse to Bush who was also lied to by our intelligence agency?
Where is it written that the "buck stops" only w/ the president?

Truman's offhand remarks about the "buck stops here", doesn't relieve other people in government of their responsibility.
And I mention Democratic Senators because they are the ones who are back-pedaling from their earlier position.

Answer 1

america was lied to period.. both sides voted on the information available..they all saw the need for the war..we didn't need the wmd arguement to go,they violated all of the sanctions 23 in total..that is the only reason we needed!

Answer 2

Yes it was Bush's fault. As President, the buck SHOULD stop with him, BUT (and shiraz can back me up on this) somehow, some way, in a strange and different reality, all the WMD lies are probably Clinton's fault. If he wasn't so busy being blown by Monica, he would have noticed that Saddam had gotten rid of ALL his WMD, then Bush wouldna had to invade Iraq.

So it MUST be Clinton's fault. Damn those liberals!

Answer 3

Well there is enough blame to spread to all of the ones involved.
I never believed anything George and Dick said but when Powell got up there and said it what choice did we have but to believe them. I think a lot of the blame for the decision to go in should be at his door. After all the years of dealing with intel he should have done more research and not accepted the words of people who were never involved in the results of bad intel.

If they had not been so totally screwed up in the way they ran the place after "victory", I suspect most people would over look the WMD joke.
For this, history will never overlook the initial screw ups. George and Dick could screw up a bowling ball they are so incompetent.

Answer 4

Because It was Truman who said that, and he was president at the time.
This president has said he is decider' and one of his decisions was to go to war, so in effect he himself has taken responsibility. Not that he is giving up his pension or anything.
Whatever happens under a presidency is called by the name of the president in office. Kennedy was only in power for a month before Bay of Pigs, but its associated with his administration. So time in office isn't of primary importance. Also since Democrats are a minority in Congress, they are pretty powerless, so if you don't like a law or the results of the last 6 years, then its really tough to blame a powerless party. BTW I believed Colin Powell too in his speech to the UN, so more fool me.

Answer 5

Bush has declared himself as the "decider" and he decided, as Commander-In-Chief, to use weapons of mass destruction as his reason for 'deciding' to illegally and unconstitutionally invade another sovereign nation that in no way threatened, provoked or attacked the U.S.A.
Democrat and Republican members of Congress stupidly chose to go along with Bush, based on faulty information and inaccurate intelligence.
But, Harry S. Truman's motto, "The Buck Stops Here" means that George W. Bush should assume full accountability, and take complete responsibility, for his actions. Let's not try passing the buck to the most corrupt, incompetent, arrogant, contemptible, evil, cowardly U.S. Congress in history.
Truman took full responsibility and assumed complete accountability for his final decision to bomb Japan with devastating weapons of mass destruction. He didn't try to pass the buck on to Congress. He lived with his decision until the day he died. That's a true hero.
Bush is a moron whose handlers ordered him to declare war because they want all that OIL swimming underneath Iraq's sands. Bush is a coward and an idiot. He's certainly no Harry S. Truman or John F. Kennedy or Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bush is a spoiled rich kid who wants to play soldier, without realizing what destruction he has inflicted on our world. History will record him as our worst President (to date). -RKO-

Answer 6

The Prez is the man in charge, and as Commander in Chief, the ultimate responsibility is his. He did not HAVE to ask Congress for a formal declaration of war - he could have invoked his emergency powers and sent in the troops any time he chose. He also could have chosen to listen to and heed his advisers, the inspectors HE appointed, and the top military brass who UNANIMOUSLY told him that attacking Iraq was NOT a good idea.

It was the Commander in Chief who quietly DISBANDED the special ops team that was supposed to catch that raghead - you know, Osama bin Forgotten? The guy who directed and caused 9/11, the guy George swore we were gonna get? Ain't got, is he?

You can't deflect the justified criticism of George Bush by whining about Democratic representatives and senators who voted for George's war. George is "the decider" - he said so himself. So George, you filthy liar, you're gonna get yours when you're brought up on charges of high treason and war crimes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

yes it was his fault....his whole administration has been based on lies...we have never had a government so anti middle-class Americans. If his daughters or the children of his rich friends would have to go to iraq do you think there is a remote possiblity our country would be there?

We are in iraq for 2 reasons..oil & payback for bush's daddy!

Answer 8

Doesnt part of the buck stop with the republican senators too?
It stops with Bush because hes "the decider" and he decided to use faulty intelligence.

Answer 9

Of course all of the elected officials who voted for the war are to blame. But so is the UN.

The UN dallied about so long that Iraq was able to hide/sell its WMDs to Syria.

The war was approved by a supermajority of both Houses of Congress after two bipartisan committees recommended that action based upon their investigations. When Bill Clinton was President he forced the UN to resend weapons inspectors to Iraq to contiunue searching.

http://www.freedomagenda.com/iraq/wmd_quotes.html

There were WMDs found in Iraq but older stock piles, nothing like Saddam claimed he had or the captured scientists claim to have manufactured.

Answer 10

He wasn't given faulty intelligence... he chose to ignore all of the intelligence that was negative and cherry pick the intelligence that supported his insane view... the buck always stops with the top of the management ladder, whether it's government or business, so that means it's Bush's responsibility.... even though he isn't man enough to admit it...