From http://www.detnews.com/EDITPAGE/0009/05/edit5/edit5.htm }}>Begin Al Gore�s Gulf War vote put politics over principle By Alan Simpson Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore�s new campaign ad is running in your state and says he is �fighting for us.� But the true story of his Gulf War vote says he is usually fighting for Al. Here is the inside story of what happened. The Gulf War vote was pretty serious business. I can�t think of anyone who didn�t have a lump in his or her throat as they weighed the situation � 500,000 American troops already deployed; Iraq�s Saddam Hussein promising the �mother of all battles�; most �experts� predicting heavy American losses. The choice was not easy. Senators with combat experience on both sides of the aisle were on both sides of the issue. Some Democrats openly supported the measure; some Republicans openly opposed it. And vice versa. The seriousness of the situation called for open, honest debate. No deal- making. No politics. Just an honest discussion, followed by an honest vote of conscience by each senator. As Republican whip, I worked with the Republican leader Bob Dole and the Democratic leaders, George Mitchell and Sam Nunn, to schedule the debate. As Republicans, Sen. Dole and I were responsible for scheduling time to speak for senators who supported the war. As Democrats, Sens. Mitchell and Nunn were responsible for scheduling time to speak for those who opposed the war. The night before this monumental debate, I sat in the Republican cloakroom with Sen. Dole discussing the debate schedule for the next day. Then a senator walked in and asked to speak to us. It surprised Bob and me because he was a Democrat coming to ask for a favor. He was Tennessee Sen. Al Gore Jr. Sen. Gore got right to the point: �How much time will you give me if I support the president?� In layman�s terms, Gore was asking how much debate time we would be willing to give him to speak on the floor if he voted with us. �How much time will the Democrats give you?� Sen. Dole asked. �Seven minutes,� came the droning response. �I�ll give you 15 minutes,� Dole said. �And I�ll give you five of mine, so you can have 20 minutes,� I offered. Gore seemed pleased, but made no final commitment, promising only to think it over. Gore played hard to get. He had received his time. But now he wanted prime time. And Dole and I knew it. After Gore left, Dole asked Republican Senate Secretary Howard Greene to call Gore�s office and promise that he would try to schedule Gore�s 20 minutes during prime time, thus ensuring plenty of coverage in the news cycle. Later that night, Gore called Greene and asked if Dole had him in a prime-time speaking slot. When Green said nothing had been finalized yet, Gore erupted: �Damn it, Howard! If I don�t get 20 minutes tomorrow, I�m going to vote the other way.� The following day, Gore arrived on the Senate floor, still waiting to see which side � Republicans or Democrats � would offer him the most and the best speaking time. Sen. Dole immediately asked the Senate to increase the amount of speaking time for both sides. I believe only then, after Gore realized we were asking for more time to make room for him on our side, that he finally decided to support the resolution authorizing the use of force to drive Hussein out of Kuwait. It brings me no joy to recount the events leading up to the Gulf War vote. It isn�t something I wanted to do. But it is something I have to do. I was there. I have to set the record straight because the Gore campaign is now running an ad proclaiming that Al Gore �broke with his own party to support the Gulf War.� In reality, it�s much closer to the truth to say he broke for the cameras to support the Gulf War. And I have to set the record straight because the Gulf War vote was far too important an issue to fall victim to politics and repulsive revising. It was a moment of challenge. Sadly, Al Gore was not up to it. In January of 1991, Al Gore put politics over principle. Alan Simpson is a former Republican senator from Wyoming. Write letters to 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226, or fax them to (313) 222-6417 or send e-mail messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] End<{{ A<>E<>R Integrity has no need of rules. -Albert Camus (1913-1960) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The libertarian therefore considers one of his prime educational tasks is to spread the demystification and desanctification of the State among its hapless subjects. His task is to demonstrate repeatedly and in depth that not only the emperor but even the "democratic" State has no clothes; that all governments subsist by exploitive rule over the public; and that such rule is the reverse of objective necessity. He strives to show that the existence of taxation and the State necessarily sets up a class division between the exploiting rulers and the exploited ruled. He seeks to show that the task of the court intellectuals who have always supported the State has ever been to weave mystification in order to induce the public to accept State rule and that these intellectuals obtain, in return, a share in the power and pelf extracted by the rulers from their deluded subjects. [[For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, Murray N. Rothbard, Fox & Wilkes, 1973, 1978, p. 25]] <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
