Actually asking elected representatives to support war can yield surprising results, not just then but later. You could argue that Obama's initial vote against

Actually asking elected representatives to support war can yield surprising results, not just then but later. You could argue that Obama's initial vote against the Iraq war was crucial in winning him the nomination in 2008. Now of course his White House says the war he voted against gives him authority to do something he thought they shouldn't do in the first place, but let's just call that an interesting development.