SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Asked by Veteran to Apologize for Horrors of Iraq War, Karl Rove Says No
'I'm not going to apologize for our government having done the right thing by having removed Saddam Hussein from power,' Rove insists
Apr 03, 2015
Karl Rove may be a lot of things, but being sorry for the 2003 invasion of Iraq is not one of them.
A 32-year-old Iraq war veteran confronted Rove at the University of Connecticut this week, calling on the former senior advisor to President George W. Bush to apologize for the horrors of that war and its lingering effects both at home and abroad.
"I've taken responsibility for my actions and dealt with my demons while advocating for a peaceful resolution for a war that was an act of aggression with no clear goal," said Ryan Hemowitz, who said he served as a medic with the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Infantry Regiment, at an event sponsored by the UConn College Republicans. "Can you take responsibility and apologize for your decision in sending a generation to lose their humanity and deal with the horrors of war, which you have never had the courage to face? Will you apologize to the millions of fathers and mothers who lost their children on both sides of this useless war?"
Rove, who helped lead the disinformation campaign that led to the 2003 Iraq invasion, refused to say he was sorry.
"We should be proud of what we were able to achieve in Iraq," Rove said, citing the alleged dangers posed by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein--the same justification war hawks offered in the lead up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Hussein was a "state sponsor of terrorism" who "thumbed his nose at the international community," Rove said. "Fourteen times he gave the finger to the United Nations."
"I'm sorry, we have a fundamental disagreement," he concluded. "I appreciate your service, but I'm not going to apologize for our government having done the right thing by having removed Saddam Hussein from power."
Watch the full exchange below:
According to the Hartford Courant:
Also during his address to the audience at UConn, Rove commented on the 2016 presidential campaign, saying he hoped Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts would enter the race. "We should be so lucky," he said, calling her "Pocahontas," a reference to her claims of Native American ancestry.
Rove was not available for comment Thursday, but Kristin Davison, chief of staff for Karl Rove & Company, said the comment about Warren was "simply making light of the fact that Sen. Warren continuously over-embellished her heritage for political benefit during the course of her 2012 campaign."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Karl Rove may be a lot of things, but being sorry for the 2003 invasion of Iraq is not one of them.
A 32-year-old Iraq war veteran confronted Rove at the University of Connecticut this week, calling on the former senior advisor to President George W. Bush to apologize for the horrors of that war and its lingering effects both at home and abroad.
"I've taken responsibility for my actions and dealt with my demons while advocating for a peaceful resolution for a war that was an act of aggression with no clear goal," said Ryan Hemowitz, who said he served as a medic with the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Infantry Regiment, at an event sponsored by the UConn College Republicans. "Can you take responsibility and apologize for your decision in sending a generation to lose their humanity and deal with the horrors of war, which you have never had the courage to face? Will you apologize to the millions of fathers and mothers who lost their children on both sides of this useless war?"
Rove, who helped lead the disinformation campaign that led to the 2003 Iraq invasion, refused to say he was sorry.
"We should be proud of what we were able to achieve in Iraq," Rove said, citing the alleged dangers posed by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein--the same justification war hawks offered in the lead up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Hussein was a "state sponsor of terrorism" who "thumbed his nose at the international community," Rove said. "Fourteen times he gave the finger to the United Nations."
"I'm sorry, we have a fundamental disagreement," he concluded. "I appreciate your service, but I'm not going to apologize for our government having done the right thing by having removed Saddam Hussein from power."
Watch the full exchange below:
According to the Hartford Courant:
Also during his address to the audience at UConn, Rove commented on the 2016 presidential campaign, saying he hoped Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts would enter the race. "We should be so lucky," he said, calling her "Pocahontas," a reference to her claims of Native American ancestry.
Rove was not available for comment Thursday, but Kristin Davison, chief of staff for Karl Rove & Company, said the comment about Warren was "simply making light of the fact that Sen. Warren continuously over-embellished her heritage for political benefit during the course of her 2012 campaign."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Karl Rove may be a lot of things, but being sorry for the 2003 invasion of Iraq is not one of them.
A 32-year-old Iraq war veteran confronted Rove at the University of Connecticut this week, calling on the former senior advisor to President George W. Bush to apologize for the horrors of that war and its lingering effects both at home and abroad.
"I've taken responsibility for my actions and dealt with my demons while advocating for a peaceful resolution for a war that was an act of aggression with no clear goal," said Ryan Hemowitz, who said he served as a medic with the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Infantry Regiment, at an event sponsored by the UConn College Republicans. "Can you take responsibility and apologize for your decision in sending a generation to lose their humanity and deal with the horrors of war, which you have never had the courage to face? Will you apologize to the millions of fathers and mothers who lost their children on both sides of this useless war?"
Rove, who helped lead the disinformation campaign that led to the 2003 Iraq invasion, refused to say he was sorry.
"We should be proud of what we were able to achieve in Iraq," Rove said, citing the alleged dangers posed by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein--the same justification war hawks offered in the lead up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Hussein was a "state sponsor of terrorism" who "thumbed his nose at the international community," Rove said. "Fourteen times he gave the finger to the United Nations."
"I'm sorry, we have a fundamental disagreement," he concluded. "I appreciate your service, but I'm not going to apologize for our government having done the right thing by having removed Saddam Hussein from power."
Watch the full exchange below:
According to the Hartford Courant:
Also during his address to the audience at UConn, Rove commented on the 2016 presidential campaign, saying he hoped Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts would enter the race. "We should be so lucky," he said, calling her "Pocahontas," a reference to her claims of Native American ancestry.
Rove was not available for comment Thursday, but Kristin Davison, chief of staff for Karl Rove & Company, said the comment about Warren was "simply making light of the fact that Sen. Warren continuously over-embellished her heritage for political benefit during the course of her 2012 campaign."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.