There was a choice on the Iraq war vote

Lincoln Chaffee, in a very clear and concise Op Ed in the New York Times today explains it.  

In summary, it was an amendment proposed by Sen. Levin just 11 hours before the actual vote to authorize the war took place and in nearly a mirror-image vote, those who opposed the Levin amendment (called the Multilateral Use of Force Authorization Act of 2002) voted for the authorization which led to the Iraq war, including all of the Senatorial candidates that are running for presidency today.

Levin's amendment, as Chaffee writes, "called for United Nations approval before force could be authorized. It was unambiguous and compatible with international law. Acutely cognizant of the dangers of the time, and the reality that diplomatic options could at some point be exhausted..."

Follow below the fold for more.

As important, Chaffee says, the amendment it ceded "no rights or sovereignty to an international body, the amendment explicitly avowed America’s right to defend itself if threatened."

While I personally support and hope one of those Senatorial candidates becomes our presidential candidate, I think it is important to recognize there was this option and that they should all be called upon to explain why they voted down this very strong, clear-visioned divergence from war that was proposed that day.