Ex-Republican Leader: I Should Have "Openly Opposed" War Resolution

Posted on Sun, Feb. 04, 2007

Dick Armey takes aim at GOP, war in Iraq By Dave Montgomery McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON - When he was the GOP leader in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Dick Armey was never known to be a shrinking violet. But now that he's out of politics, Armey is indisputably even more plainspoken as the leader of a conservative grassroots network known informally as "Armey's army." Since leaving Congress in 2003, the former House majority leader has served as chairman of FreedomWorks, which boasts more than 800,000 volunteer activists committed to fighting for less government and lower taxes, the same causes that often defined Armey's tenure as a congressman from Texas. Armey, who is also a senior lobbyist for the law firm of DLA Piper, has been openly critical in blaming Republicans for self-inflicted mistakes that he said led to the Democrats' takeover of Congress in the 2006 elections. In an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, he offered a gloves-off view on an array of topics, from President Bush to former colleague Tom DeLay. Q: Why did Republicans lose Congress? A: They forgot their priorities, they became insecure. At the very time the Democrats were trying to win elections by pretending to be us, our guys were pretending to be them. Q: Did Tom DeLay become a liability to the party? A: Oh yeah. I'm amazed at the number of people who tell me this. I have my own understandings and feelings about Tom DeLay. ... I don't believe he's a good person and I don't believe he is a person who should have been in public office. Q: Why don't you like him? A: I don't like sneaky, conniving people. I don't like people who get behind closed doors and contrive against other people. (He) has had - what's the word I want? - an aggressive tendency to create the opportunity to do back-door, behind-the-door, closed-door, dark-room contrivances against people. I just consider that unacceptable. Q: Did he do that in redistricting? (DeLay pressured the Texas legislature to redraw congressional boundaries to favor Republican members of Congress.) A: What Tom Delay did in redistricting was more correct than it was improper. ... Poor old Tom. He could even make doing the right thing look ugly in how he did it. Q: How do Republicans get Congress back? A: Boy, that's a tough one. ... They have to prove to the American people that they really are the small government conservatives the Democrats are pretending to be. Q: Do you like anybody out there in the presidential field? A: I'm not so sure that I've found anybody who actually rings my bell. I have a sort of a sense that the person that wins the nomination hasn't stepped on the field yet. Q: Who's going to be president? Who's going to win? A: If you said right now, Dick Armey, put your money on a horse that's in the race, I'd put my money on Hillary. She will be whoever you want her to be. She's a skillful, able politician. Her husband could go in and screw it up in a day. She's walking around with a ton of dynamite in her hip pocket. Q: I assume you wouldn't vote for her though. A: Of course I wouldn't vote for her. Betting on a horse to win doesn't mean you want to buy the horse. Q: Is there anybody in the Republican field who has a chance? McCain? Others? A: I have a sense recently that McCain may be turning up as old news, so I'm not so sure I'd put a lot of money on McCain. For a while, up until recently, I thought he was the front-runner (for the GOP nomination), but I don't think it's going to be hard to catch him. All of a sudden guys like (Sen. Chuck) Hagel might look a lot better. Q: Is George W. Bush a failed president? A: I've said over the years that every president either ends up a pleasant surprise or a bitter disappointment. And we haven't had a pleasant surprise since Ronald Reagan. I don't see how anybody can look at the Bush presidency and say this was a success in public policy terms. Q: Your views on the Iraq war? A: I'm not sure that it was the right thing to do. You might say removing Saddam from power was a right thing to do. Maybe it was, but was that necessarily then our responsibility to do that? And was it our responsibility to do that by invading a country that had in no way declared any war on us? Q: You voted for the resolution to go to war. A: I did, and I'm not happy about it. The resolution was a resolution that authorized the president to take that action if he deemed it necessary. Had I been more true to myself and the principles I believed in at the time, I would have openly opposed the whole adventure vocally and aggressively. I had a tough time reconciling doing that against the duties of majority leader in the House. I would have served myself and my party and my country better, though, had I done so. Q: Have you considered running for president? A: I could never get elected president. First of all, I've got the good sense not to want the job. It's never been my dream to die in Iowa. Can you imagine me getting through Iowa alive with my record on farm programs and some of the things I took on? --- DICK ARMEY Political affiliation: Republican. Age: 66. Current positions: Chairman of FreedomWorks, a conservative grassroots organization. Senior policy adviser and lobbyist for DLA Piper, a global law firm. Born: July 7, 1940, in Cando, N.D. Economics professor at the University of North Texas in Denton, 1972-1985. U.S. representative for Texas' 26th District, 1985-2003. House Majority Leader, 1995-2003. Residence: Denton County, Texas. Religion affiliation: Lewisville Bible Church. Wife: Susan Armey. Five children, 11 grandchildren. Personal touches: Avid bass fisherman. Partial to cowboy boots and Stetson hat.