"I'd make the decision again."

In summer 2004, John Kerry was widely criticized for saying something very much like this:

we gave Saddam Hussein the chance to disclose or disarm, and he refused. And I made a tough decision. And knowing what I know today, I'd make the decision again.

George W. Bush said that December 12, 2005.

I think the President is claiming that Hussein failed to disclose the disarmament.

Wait, that can't be right.

Kerry now says he would have voted "no" in October 2002. Additionally, he says Congress wouldn't even have had a vote. The idea of war against Iraq would have been ridiculous.

Who's correct, Bush or Kerry? The public says Kerry:

Public opinion is now fairly solidly against the war in Iraq. More than half of Americans – 55% - think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq (the highest figure to date), while 41% think taking military action there was the right thing to do.

That's a CBS news poll from October.


Update: Oops, I forgot to add this link to a Congressional Research Service finding (pdf version) triggered by a request from Senator Dianne Feinstein. Did Congress have access to the same intelligence as the President? No.

Josh Marshall provided the link.