Standing by their votes

Whether they believe the U.S. mission in Iraq can still succeed or that U.S. troops should be withdrawn, Southern California lawmakers who voted for the war four years ago say they still stand by their decision. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

As they voted last week on a resolution calling for troop withdrawal, Democrats and Republicans alike defended their vote to bring the country into war in October 2002, saying they authorized the use of force based on the best information available at the time.

"I voted for (war) because I thought Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons, I thought he was trying to get nuclear weapons and the sanctions regime was collapsing around us. Those premises were wrong," said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys.

Once a strong supporter of the war and among the last Democrats to break with President George W. Bush on Iraq, Berman was among 221 lawmakers who voted in favor of Thursday's resolution that set an April 2008 target date for withdrawal.