Unpatriotic?

Do you think it unpatriotic to question the Commander in Chief during wartime? Well...

Governor George W. Bush: Criticizing President Clinton’s administration for not doing enough to enunciate a goal for the Kosovo military action and indicating the bombing campaign might not be a tough enough response. ‘Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is,’ Bush said.” [Houston Chronicle, 4/9/99]

GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL): “Many may question the path that has taken us to this point. I have my own questions about the long term strategy of this campaign.” [Dallas Morning News, 3/25/99]

Tom Delay (R-TX): “Mr. Speaker, this is a very difficult speech for me to give, because I normally, and I still do, support our military and the fine work that they are doing. But I cannot support a failed foreign policy. … But before we get deeper embroiled into this Balkan quagmire, I think that an assessment has to be made of the Kosovo policy so far. President Clinton has never explained to the American people why he was involving the U.S. military in a civil war in a sovereign nation, other than to say it is for humanitarian reasons, a new military/foreign policy precedent. … Was it worth it to stay in Vietnam to save face? What good has been accomplished so far? Absolutely nothing.” [Congressional Record, “Removal of United States Armed Forces from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,” 4/28/99]

Tom Delay (R-TX): The deployment of U.S. military forces in Kosovo is “just another bad idea in a foreign policy without a focus.” [Editorial, Saint Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), 3/17/99]

Tom Delay (R-TX): “America needs to quickly change directions and leave behind this chilling comedy of errors that has defined our foreign policy.” [Copley News Service, 3/22/99]

Tom Delay (R-TX): “First of all, it's using NATO for the first time to attack a sovereign nation. … It’s also one more adventure in a whole line of adventures of failed foreign policy.” [“Fox News Sunday,” 3/14/99]

Tom Delay (R-TX): “I had the utmost confidence in President Bush. He had laid the groundwork, and our national interest in the Middle East was clear. In the gulf we had a country that was invaded [Kuwait], and an oil interest to defend. … [In the Balkans] we have a president I don’t trust, who has proven my reason for not trusting him: had no plan. We have a civil war that was falsely described as a huge humanitarian problem, when in comparison to other places, it was nothing." [Washington Post, 5/4/99]

Richard Lugar (R-IN): “This is President Clinton’s war, and when he falls flat on his face, that’s his problem.” [New York Times, 5/4/99]

By the way, these statements by Republicans were about a war where we 1.) Stopped a genocide, 2.) Worked with allies (NATO) 3.) Took Minor Casualties and most importantly this "quagmire" completed in less than 3 months:

March 24, 1999 -- NATO began a strategic bombing campaign. [Associated Press, 3/24/99]

June 10, 1999 -- NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo ended with signing of peace accord. [Associated Press, 6/10/99]

Talk about hypocrites.