As a Republican senator during the decision to go to war in Iraq who has since left the party, Lincoln Chafee has a nearly unique perspective.
DailyKos diarist
smintheus has
a fascinating post quoting Chafee on why so many Democrats (including Clinton) voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. Chafee’s claim - that many personally anti-invasion Democrats voted to allow Bush to invade because they were afraid of political fallout - is exactly what I had assumed, but it’s useful to hear it from somebody who was in a position to know and who is no longer beholden to either major party.
I think I may want to read Chafee’s book.