Sam Brownback: Iraq = War on Terror

During Tuesday night’s Republican presidential primary debates, Senator Sam Brownback connected the 2003 invasion of Iraq with 9/11 and the war on terror.  When asked if dependence on Middle East Oil constituted the invasion, Brownback replied:

"I don’t believe that in the least. We went to Iraq—on the war in Iraq, what I voted for was the war on terrorism."

Borrowing rhetoric from President Bush, Senator Brownback linked the invasion of Iraq to terrorism.

“And it was in 2003, this was in close proximity to 2001, when we had the 9/11 crisis, and I wasn’t going to trust that Saddam Hussein wasn’t going to mix terrorists with weapons of mass destruction.”

Senator Brownback did concede that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq, but favors a continued occupation.

“We haven’t found the weapons of mass destruction, but that doesn’t mean we leave. And I think the Bush administration has generally done well military [sic].”

See the New York Times for a full transcript.