Joe Biden Tries to Rewrite the History of His Support for the War in Iraq
Biden told NPR that 'Immediately, that moment it started, I came out against the war at that moment.' That's not true
Former Vice President Joe Biden tried to rewrite the history of his support for the war in Iraq this week. Here is a look at Biden’s statement and where it misstates the facts.
JOE BIDEN, Democratic presidential candidate, on the Iraq war: “Immediately, that moment it started, I came out against the war at that moment.” — interview Tuesday with NPR.
THE FACTS: Not so. As a senator in 2002, Biden had voted to give President George W. Bush the authority to invade Iraq, which he did in March 2003 as part of a “shock and awe” bombing campaign with some coalition allies. Four months later, in July, Biden was still expressing strong support for the military engagement.
“Nine months ago, I voted with my colleagues to give the president of the United States of America the authority to use force, and I would vote that way again today,” Biden told the Brookings Institution.
It wasn’t until 2005 that he came around to calling the war a mistake, blaming Bush because “we went too soon. We went without sufficient force. And we went without a plan.”