20 reasons Bernie Sanders is NOT anti-war
Bernie might not be the greatest evil, but there are plenty of reasons why calling him an "anti-war" politician is flat-out wrong.
Bernie Sanders might not be a Top Tier warmonger among the likes of George W. Bush, who oversaw a bloodbath in Iraq well-surpassing a million slaughtered human beings, or among the likes of Barack Obama, who entered the White House under the guise of ending "dumb" wars but left office with seven countries actively being bombed. Bernie may also not be a warmonger on a scale equal to Donald Trump, who not only continued - but expanded on - the worst foreign policy decisions of both Bush and Obama. And yet, a warmonger is a warmonger, no matter how small. A lesser evil is still an evil, no matter how lesser. One person killed as a result of a politician's decision to support reckless US foreign policy positions is a person too many, and any politician who supports such decisions is a politician not worth supporting.
Bernie might not be as bad as the others, he might not be the greatest evil, but there are plenty of reasons why calling him an "anti-war" politician is flat-out wrong. Bernie's past positions over his long career have proven time and time again that he is hardly afraid to make decisions that needlessly devalue the lives of people around the world.
1. Bernie voted in favor of HR 3107 - Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996, which "imposes sanctions on persons exporting certain goods or technology that would enhance Iran's ability to explore for, extract, refine, or transport by pipeline petroleum resources, and for other purposes." In 2001, Bernie supported HR 1954, which extended the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act.
2. In 1993, Bernie voted in support of HR 2446 - Military Construction Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill, which provided $3.63 billion for military construction. That same year, he also voted in favor of S J Res 45 - Authorization for Use of US Armed Forces in Somalia, which authorized President Bill Clinton to use US troops in Somalia for the purpose of providing logistical support to the United Nations peacekeeping force.
3. In 1994, Bernie voted in favor of HR 4453 - Military Construction FY95 Appropriations bill, which provided $2.52 billion for military construction.
4. In 1997, Bernie voted for HR 2159, which included $3 billion for Israel, plus another $1.8 billion in military assistance and $1.2 billion in economic assistance; $2.12 billion for Egypt, including $1.3 billion in military assistance and $815 million in economic assistance; $770 million for former Soviet Republics; and $215 million for international narcotics control and law enforcement.
5. Yes, Bernie voted against the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
However:
In 1998, Bernie's name was included as a YEA vote on HR 4655, the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998, which expressed the sense of Congress that it should be the aim of the United States to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
President George W. Bush later used the Iraqi Liberation Act to provide justification for military action for the 2003 invasion.
In 2003, Bernie supported HR 5010, which provided $355.1 billion in appropriations for the Defense Department for fiscal year 2003, along with: $71.6 billion for procurement of aircraft, missiles, weapons, combat vehicles and shipbuilding; $7.4 billion for ballistic missile defense; and $58.4 million for foreign aid, which includes humanitarian assistance, foreign disaster relief and de-mining programs.
He also voted in favor of HR 2800 - Foreign Operations Appropriations, FY 2004 bill, which granted $1.8 billion in military and economic assistance to Egypt and $2.2 billion for Israeli military assistance.
In 2004, Bernie supported HR 4613, which allocated $25 billion for emergency defense spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and $77.4 billion for the procurement of new weapons.
In 2005, Sanders supported HR 2863 - Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill, which provided $50 billion for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2006, Bernie voted for HR 5631, which provided $70 billion for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2007, he supported HR 1585 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which granted $187.14 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan operations.
6. In 2009, he voted in favor of HR 2647, which authorized $309 million for research and evaluation, procurement, or deployment of an alternative Missile Defense System in Europe, and also allowed the Secretary of Defense to increase the active-duty number for the US Army to a number greater than otherwise allowed by law up to the 2010 baseline plus 30,000 troops.
7. Bernie called closing the torturous gulag at Guantanamo a "complicated issue" and ultimately rejected a proposal in 2009 to shut it down.
8. Bernie was a staunch supporter of Bill Clinton's 100-day bombing of Yugoslavia and Kosovo in 1999.
At the time, Bernie held a town hall meeting where he surrounded himself with sympathetic war supporters. During the question and answer part of the meeting, Sanders yelled at two of the wars most vocal opponents and told them to leave.
9. In 2011, Bernie co-sponsored S. Res. 85, which urged the UN Security Council to take action to "protect civilians" in Libya, including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory.
10. In 2014, Bernie came out in favor of levying economic sanctions against Russia: "The entire world has got to stand up to Putin. We've got to deal with sanctions."
11. Bernie didn't object to having his name included - by unanimous consent - in S.498, which backed Israel's brutal, summer-long military assault against Gaza in 2014. Similar to what happened at his town hall during Bill Clinton's bombing campaign in Yugoslavia and Kosovo, Bernie was berated by his supporters at a local event for his support of Israel during an exchange that included Sanders screaming at the audience.
12. Upon the passing on life-long warmonger John McCain in 2018, Bernie labeled McCain a "friend", an "American hero", and "a man of decency and honor".
13. Bernie stated in 2014 that he is in favor of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria to "target ISIS" and other terror groups.
14. Bernie continues to accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, even as Iran denies wanting them, and even as both US and Israeli intelligence agencies conclude Iran isn't pursuing them.
15. Bernie supported Bill Clinton's presidency both times in the 90s, John Kerry in 2004, Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012, and perhaps worst of all, he supported Hillary Clinton in 2016: "Hillary Clinton will make a great president and I am proud to stand with her today." Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are as close to the establishment as it gets, and each have been responsible for their own various pro-war positions and policies over the years. The fact that Bernie was willing to endorse them should speak volumes.
Update - Dec. 2020:
Time for a bonus round.
16. In 2020, Bernie campaigned for Joe Biden, a racist, warmongering, corporate-owned establishment Democrat who not only helped push for the US invasion of Iraq, but also oversaw the bombing of at least seven countries as Obama’s VP. Biden’s political activities stand in direct contrast to the alleged beliefs of Bernie, and yet Sanders still encouraged supporters to vote for him.
On its own, this might not seem like a big deal considering his opponent was Donald Trump; however, bear in mind that Bernie has acted as a “sheepdog” for every warmongering Democratic nominee for President since Bill Clinton in the 90s.
17. Also in December 2020, Bernie voted and pushed for passage of HR 133, a massive omnibus spending bill that included millions for the procurement of weapons, millions more for I.C.E., and funding for border wall construction. Bernie justified supporting HR 133 because a COVID-19 relief bill was conveniently attached.
Update - January 2021:
Time for another bonus round. This month, Bernie Sanders:
18. Voted for CIA torture apologist & drone warrior Avril Haines as Biden’s Intelligence Director. Haines also supported Gina Haspel’s nomination as Trump’s CIA Director. Haspel ran a “black site” torture prison in Thailand and also drafted a memo ordering the destruction of almost 100 videotapes documenting CIA torture.
19. Voted in support of former Raytheon board member Lloyd Austin as Biden’s Defense Secretary.
20. Voted for Libya war cheerleader Antony Blinken as Biden’s Secretary of State.