War in Iraq
The war in Iraq began 10 years ago Tuesday with a night-time bombardment of Baghdad by American warplanes. Since that night, the war took the lives of 4,487 American troops, killed tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens and cost U.S. taxpayers at least $1.7 trillion. “When the president and the vice president were telling us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, they didn’t make the case to me. That’s why I not only voted against the war but helped lead the opposition,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said at the time. As the war dragged on, Sanders talked about it at a Vermont town meeting. “I think the evidence is very clear that Bush’s war in Iraq has been counterproductive in terms of fighting international terrorism." On Tuesday, he reflected on the events of the past decade and his opposition to the war. "I think history will record that as the right vote,” Sanders said. “Looking back, I think the war was a mistake. I think the vote I made 10 years ago was the right choice. I hope it’s a lesson that we will learn for the future.”
