Norman Solomon: Kerry's Endorsement of Biden Fits: Two Deceptive Supporters of the Iraq War

It is so abundantly clear where the lines are drawn and who is devoted to the domination culture of patriarchal neoliberal predatory capitalism and who is not. Those whose pockets are lined and brains infected by the poisonous powerful interests of the military industrial complex, Wall Street, the fossil fuel industry, the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, the prison and the animal agricultural industries, etc. will never act out of the consciousness of the highest good for the people and the planet rather than those of their donor class friends. We all need to keep speaking the truth, exposing the lies, and working together to dismantle the power of the powerful that’s brought us endless wars and violence, devastating poverty and poisonous propaganda, and now the climate and ecological crises which threaten life on Earth with extinction. Another world is possible! — Molly

By Norman Solomon

On Thursday afternoon, the Washington Post sent out a news alert headlined "John Kerry Endorses Biden in 2020 Race, Saying He Has the Character and Experience to Beat Trump, Confront the Nation's Challenges." Meanwhile, in Iowa, Joe Biden was also touting his experience. "Look," Biden said as he angrily lectured an 83-year-old farmer at a campaign stop, "the reason I'm running is because I've been around a long time and I know more than most people know, and I can get things done."

But Kerry and Biden don't want to acknowledge a historic tie that binds them: Both men were important supporters of the Iraq war, voting for the invasion on the Senate floor and continuing to back the war after it began. Over the years, political winds have shifted—and Biden, like Kerry, has methodically lied about his support for that horrendous war.

The spectacle of Kerry praising Biden as a seasoned leader amounts to one supporter of the Iraq catastrophe attesting to the character and experience of another supporter of the same catastrophe.  

The FactCheck.org project at the Annenberg Public Policy Center has pointed out: "Kerry agreed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and should be overthrown, and defended his war authorization vote more than once—including saying in a May 2003 debate that Bush made the 'right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein.' . . . Kerry also told reporters in August 2004 that he would have voted for the resolution even if he had known that the U.S. couldn’t find any weapons of mass destruction."

As for Biden, he can't stop lying about his major role in pushing the war authorization through the Senate five months before the March 2003 invasion. During his current presidential campaign, more than 16 years after the invasion, Biden has continued efforts to conceal his pro-war role while refusing to admit that he was instrumental in making possible the massive carnage and devastation in Iraq.  

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