A report on Republican Party (United States), Democratic Party (United States), 2003 invasion of Iraq and Presidency of Bill Clinton

Since the mid-1850s, it has been the main political rival of the Democratic Party.

Its main political rival has been the Republican Party since the 1850s.

Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive victory over Republican incumbent president George H. W. Bush and independent businessman Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election.

The Republican Party's campaign platform in the 2000 election called for "full implementation" of the Iraq Liberation Act as "a starting point" in a plan to "remove" Saddam.

O'Neill later backtracked, saying that these discussions were part of a continuation of foreign policy first put into place by the Clinton administration.

The economic policy adopted by the Democratic Party, including the former Clinton administration, has been referred to as "Third Way."

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, many in the party have supported neoconservative policies with regard to the War on Terror, including the 2001 war in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Following gun control measures under the Clinton administration, such as the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Republicans allied with the NRA during the Republican Revolution in 1994.

These raids would continue intermittently until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

A March 2003 CBS News poll taken a few days before the invasion of Iraq found that 34% of Democrats nationwide would support it without United Nations backing, 51% would support it only with its backing and 14% would not support it at all.

For example, in April 2003 John Kerry, the Democratic candidate in the presidential election, said at a campaign rally: "What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States."