Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders says he will not apologize for opposing US wars in Vietnam and Iraq, after coming under mainstream media criticism for ‘anti-American’ sentiment. His supporters say ‘good for him.’

Sanders is seeking the Democratic party nomination in 2020, and is up against a crowded primary field. Having rebuffed a New York Times reporter who asked last week about “anti-American chants” at a protest Sanders attended against US meddling in Nicaragua, the senator appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday and repeated that he will not apologize for being anti-war.

“I will do everything I can to see problems solved diplomatically instead of through war,” said Sanders.

@BernieSanders said he won't apologize for supporting anti-Vietnam War efforts and voting against the war in Iraq. "I will do everything I can to see problems solved diplomatically instead of through war." #MTP — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 19, 2019

The effort to frame Sanders as somehow unpatriotic for supporting the interventionist wars of choice quickly backfired, as the overwhelming majority of responses to both the Times and NBC were along the lines of “good” and “he has nothing to apologize for.”

“Anyone who thinks the Vietnam War was a good thing needs to have their heads examined,” was another sentiment common among Sanders supporters.

And Bernie’s correct. Again. Anyone who thinks the Vietnam War was a good thing needs to have their heads examined. — Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (@PaulDeCristofo4) May 20, 2019

Apologize for fucking WHAT? Not committing mass murder? Not being a fucking war criminal? https://t.co/oCqG8EXds3 — Amir (@AmirAminiMD) May 20, 2019

Why should Bernie apologize for being right?Let me make it simple for you.Vietnam War: BadIraq War: BadDiplomacy over war: Good.Bernie has proven over and over that he has good judgment. It's only just now that the rest of the country is catching up to him. — Chris Jeter (@ChrisJeter7) May 20, 2019

oh no please don't make bernie have to run on his opposition to illegal wars and death squads! if this primary becomes a referendum on post-vietnam foreign policy he's doomed! DOOOOOOOOOMED — 🌐IPM 💯🏧💍🌈🚀🚩 (@IPM_HQ) May 20, 2019

One Newsweek journalist tried to argue that Sanders “doesn’t seem so far different from Trump” on the subject of Vietnam, only to get buried in a flurry of furious responses, dominated by criticism of US wars abroad dominated.

Bernie’s response doesn’t seem so far different from Trump, who dodged Vietnam and trashed the Iraq invasion. — Jeff Stein (@SpyTalker) May 19, 2019

Vietnam & Iraq were disastrous unnecessary wars marked by war crimes & the deaths of millions. The mainstream media will never forgive those (like Sanders) who opposed them, nor will they ever stop celebrating the architects of those wars (like Kissinger). https://t.co/aVQSy7dEMp — Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) May 20, 2019

Sanders was a conscientious objector during Vietnam, and voted against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He did support the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia on “humanitarian” grounds, but then so did most of his fellow Democrats.

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