HEY, THIS SOUNDS LIKE WHAT OBAMA AIDES ARE SAYING TODAY! Flashback: Bush Aides Say Iraq War Needs No Hill Vote; Some See Such Support As Politically Helpful. “Lawyers for President Bush have concluded he can launch an attack on Iraq without new approval from Congress, in part because they say permission remains in force from the 1991 resolution giving Bush’s father authority to wage war in the Persian Gulf, according to administration officials. At the same time, some administration officials are arguing internally that the president should seek lawmakers’ backing anyway to build public support and to avoid souring congressional relations. If Bush took that course, he still would be likely to assert that congressional consent was not legally necessary, the officials said.”

Bush was smart to get Congress on board — even though by 2006, many, including Hillary, were pretending they’d never voted for the war — and Obama would be smart to do the same now.