Anti-War Neocon Pacifists Become Immoral Hawks in 2003

October 25, 2003

Most conservative talk radio personalities of national reputation -- Rush Limbaugh, Ollie North,  and G. Gordon Liddy, to name a few, opposed the war in Kosovo. Also, most Republican in Congress opposed the war and were very demonstrative of their displeasure with Bill Clinton. They  characterized the military action as being "Clinton's War".

Never mind the rapes, murders, torture, genocide and mass graves. Never mind NATO's support to end the atrocities as soon as possible when the United Nations failed to act. These valid reasons were dismissed by them.

In 2003 conservatives urged war in Iraq and criticized anyone not wanting war as a liberal pacifist who wanted to undermine Bush in his efforts to protect the United States. They said anti-war criticism was un-American and played into the hands of the enemy. For example, Sean Hannity (Fox News, Hannity and Colmes) said repeatedly the Democrats were undermining the President by criticizing the Commander in Chief with their criticisms of the Iraq War.

Yet Hannity and many Republicans did the very same thing in 1999.

The NeoCon hypocrites of the late 1990s, pacifists everyone of them, are now the staunch defenders of the Iraq War which was based on false assumptions about WMDs and Saddam's connection with Al Qaeda. They were awed by 'Shock and Awe", MOABS and nightly bombings. No real thought to the destruction and death on the ground.

Here are some examples of pacifist attacks on Clinton in 1999 during the War in Kosovo:

Sean Hannity, in 1999 was a different man, a true pacifist, an anti-war advocate more than willing to attack Clinton over the Kosovo War. He deliberately undermined Clinton by saying, "He's not  following his advisors", "We're running out of ammunition", and "He doesn't know what he's doing." He characterized the Kosovo action was the worst planned military operation in history.

Sean Hannity (Hannity & Colmes, 4/6/99) expressed opposition to 1999 War in Kosovo and said, "Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"

Rep. Robin Hayes (R-North Carolina) said on April 16, 1999, "Let's don't throw our ground troops in there and risk their lives without a clear objective and exit strategy."

Rush Limbaugh, May 1999 "Limbaugh Letter" was titled, "Why Kosovo?". Limbaugh scoffed at the humanitarian rationale for Clinton’s Kosovo policy and criticized the "shifting justifications" for war. Rush wrote about his interview with retired Col. David Hackworth. Limbaugh supported treason and mutiny against the commander-in-chief, Bill Clinton. When Hackworth said Clinton was "uniformly despised" within the military, Limbaugh responded: "How long, then, can it be before there is an uprising, and why hasn’t it happened before now?"

Dan Quayle said on May 5, 1999, "As I have said from the outset of our military involvement in Yugoslavia, this is the wrong war in the wrong place. The United States should never commit our military unless it is in our vital national security interests. Involving ourselves in a civil war of ancient origins does not meet that test. No one is better off as a result of this ill-advised mission: not the United States or its allies; not NATO; and certainly not the Albanian Kosovars, whose suffering has increased dramatically."

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-California) announced on April 22, 1999 that he would introduce two resolutions that will call on Congress to either declare war on Yugoslavia or withdraw U.S. troops within 30 days. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) said the House would vote quickly on Campbell's motions.

Rush Limbaugh, in 1999, said NATO was stepping into a quagmire with no way out in its air campaign in Kosovo. He said, "We don't have a plan. If we had a plan, we'd have 200,000 ground troops deployed and standing by."

Ron Paul (R-Texas) said on May 1, 1999 "This president is putting American soldiers, and indeed all Americans, in danger by engaging in this reckless action." ; "We must not allow this or any president to declare themselves above the law."

Joe Scarborough told Catherine Crier ("The Crier Report", 6/8/99): "This has been an unmitigated disaster ... Ask the Chinese embassy. Ask all the people in Belgrade that we've killed. Ask the refugees that we've killed. Ask the people in nursing homes. Ask the people in hospitals."

Bill Bennett, conservative moralist, appeared on CNN’s "Inside Politics" (4/16/99) where he dismissed the Kosovo War by saying: "I think this policy is nuts."

Tom Campbell (R-California) and a group of representatives filed suit in 1999 claiming President Clinton violated both the United States Constitution and the War Powers Act, 31 U.S. The suit demanded the President receive permission from Congress to continue the Kosovo air strikes. The suit sought to force the President to cease hostilities immediately. The law suit was dismissed on June 8, 1999.

Some of the Representatives joining Tom Campbell were Ron Paul ( R-Texas), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland), Bob Barr (R-Georgia), Dan Burton (R-Indiana), Philip Crane (R-Illinois), John Cooksey (R-Louisiana), Walter Jones (R-North Carolina), Donald Manzullo (R-Illinois), Charlie Norwood (R-Georgia), Thomas Petri (R-Wisconsin), Marshall Sanford (R-South Carolina), Joe Scarborough (R-Florida), and Bob Schaffer (R-Colorado).

David Limbaugh said on June 10, 1999, "Our decision to use military force should always be made in a climate of grave sobriety. War must forever remain our last option. But there is now a danger that we will be deluded into believing that we are invincible and that we can intervene in any global conflict and prevail through air power alone without any casualties."

Ron Paul (R-Texas) said on July 1, 1999, "This President has violated the law and he had to be taken to task. It is a shame that Congress has not done more to stop the President from this destructive course. So it was therefore incumbent upon us to resort to the courts to force Mr. Clinton to follow his Oath of Office to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States."

Michael Savage was bitterly opposed Clinton’s Kosovo actions and said on 11/20/88 to "NewsMax.com", "These international war criminals were led by General Wesley Clark ... who clicked his shiny heels for the commander-in-grief, Bill Clinton."

The Republican doves and pacifists in 1999 have changed their position on war. In 2003 they supported the invasion of Iraq, never mentioning the body bags for our troops and civilian casualties and suffering.  

Why didn't Sean Hannity say in 2003 what he said in 1999, "Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"

If war was bad in 1999, then why wasn't it bad in 2003?

Could parochial NeoCon politics be a factor? Could it be they base their war position on,  "Bush Good ...... Clinton Bad?"

Determining whether to go to war is serious business, but Republican NeoCons see it as just another political tool to use against their enemies like Bill Clinton.

This is indisputably immoral and evil.