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July 30, 2004

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This week here in Boston, much of the focus of discussion among the delegates on the floor has centered around opposition to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. And while the sentiments among the delegates are overwhelmingly anti-war and anti-occupation, that has not been reflected from the speakers podium. In fact, both John Kerry and John Edwards gave speeches that could be characterized as prowar. And while the democratic base is antiwar, that has not been the record of John Kerry during this campaign. In fact Kerry began his bid for the presidency running as a pro-war candidate. It was only after Howard Dean tapped into the antiwar sentiment that Kerry began adopting antiwar rhetoric.

Some veteran Iraq observers say that it was the Clinton administration that set the tone for the Bush administration"s invasion of Iraq. It was Clinton who began the most sustained bombing campaign since Vietnam, when, in 1998, he began almost daily attacks on Iraq in the so-called no-fly zones. And in 1998, Clinton"s administration made so-called regime change in Iraq official US policy.

During his presidency, Bill Clinton presided over the most devestating regime of economic sanctions in history that the UN estimated took the lives of as many as a million Iraqis, the vast majority of them children. In May of 1996, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Madeline Albright, who at the time was Clinton"s UN Ambassador. Correspondent Leslie Stahl said to Albright, "We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that"s more children than died in Hiroshima. And — and you know, is the price worth it?"

Madeline Albright replied "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it." Last night as people filed out of the convention after John Kerry"s speech, we spotted Madeline Albright.