Posted on 03/20/2023 8:46:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
It’s still too soon to make the definitive historical assessment of the Iraq War, the good, the bad, and the ugly — even assuming such a thing is even possible. But it’s never too soon to correct the historical revisionism that’s taken place in recent years.
There’s a new narrative, peddled increasingly by people on the right, that the war was the sinister work of a cabal of neocon warmongers. I’ve seen this line of thought promoted, sometimes cruelly, by people who seem to have forgotten that, like me, they were on the pro side of the debate. Opinions changed and asses were covered as the Iraq War turned foul — such is human nature. Remember John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election, furiously backpedaling from his own Yea vote on the authorization for the use of force against Saddam.
The biggest mistake I made was in promoting a war that, I said at the time, would require a multi-generational effort at nurturing Iraq’s infant democracy. I forgot, or maybe I chose to forget, the Iron Law of American Public Opinion. After three years of fighting, no matter how just the cause (even WWII), Americans will start to tire of war. If you’re pushing for a major war that doesn’t have a 36-to-48-month endgame, then don’t bother. For what it’s worth, I haven’t since. If it comes down to a choice between cutting off the weapons flow to Ukraine or sending a single American soldier to fight there… then sayonara, Kyiv.
But back to the lead-up to the Iraq War.
The old narrative, peddled largely by those on the left, was the so-called “rush to war.” President George W. Bush just went to war one day, without considering the consequences.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Iraq is almost inarguably a better place than it was on March 19, 2003. “Iraq is still, in all likelihood, almost by any judgment,” evangelical theologian Albert Mohler concluded on the war’s anniversary, “the freest and most democratic of all the nations in that region.” Barring Israel, of course. What Iraqis do with that freedom is up to them, as it should be.
Perhaps in 20 years, things will look different, even better. But the view today is that while Iraq is better off, America is not. And what is American foreign policy for, if not to promote a world that makes it possible for Americans to live the lives we choose, in peace and liberty? By that measure, from the view we have today, we failed.
In the end, the war was too much blood and treasure. That’s true of every war, man’s worst endeavor, but perhaps the Iraq War stings because it wasn’t a war of necessity.
The domestic political fallout of the Iraq War is still with us in deeply damaging ways.
What’s interesting now is Iraq’s total absence from the US MSM
That seems to be on purpose
Lindsey Graham loved the Iraq War.
Lindsey Graham, and his “ pals at the Pentagon “, love all foreign, no-win wars.
It’s great for the old bank account.
The author’s premise is defective.
The question is like asking the victim if stepping into the bear trap on the trail he was goaded into taking was a good decision.
“Nuts.”
Women have less freedom than they did under Saddam. The Iraq War was one of the biggest foreign policy blunders of all time.
4,500 U.S. soldiers dead, another 32,000 wounded, nearly two trillion dollar price tag...
Easily the single biggest presidential blunder of my lifetime. Congratulations, George W. Bush!
I agree with James Earl Jones on the Iraq war, in his own words: All people have to be prepared. If we are going to be the police, we also have to be the guardians. We can no longer play games. I was not against the war in Bosnia. I was against it taking so long. I was not against the war in Somalia. Again, it took too long, and we didn’t finish the job. We should’ve stayed and finished the job. About this pending war, I just think we should’ve finished that war the first time.
RE: 4,500 U.S. soldiers dead, another 32,000 wounded, nearly two trillion dollar price tag...
More Amerian soldiers died and were wounded in the Civil War, and the First and Second World War. Were those wars not worthy of being fought too?
We paid a price. But we may have to deal with Saddam a couple years later. Or take out his successors (Uday and Qusay)
But probably not. We could containe Iraq. They would be more like Syria today (my guess).
Ultimately, Iraq is better off today. But it was not worth the precious American blood we had to bleed over it.
It only made Iran stronger.
World War I was completely useless. Definitely NOT worthy. It marked the start of the suicide of the West. Wilson pretended to be for neutrality, but then lied Americans into a war which merely became a prequel to WWII. But it knocked France and England down, and basically handed the USA their empire
That is a stupid comparison. Please feel bad for even trying it.
I was the XO of a support detachment at the German AA range in Todendorf. When I wasn't on site, my job was to shadow the Battalion Commander, to respond to his requests. I saw how his officers and soldiers responded to him, the respect and loyalty they had. He reminded me of Sam Damon, from the novel Once an Eagle. He was the perfect choice to oversee Iraq reconstruction.
During his first month, he was fired, for saying his objective was to "return Iraq back to the Iraqis as soon as possible. It's their country." Instead, Bush/Cheney replaced him with an apparatchik, and the dollars started rolling to the MIC. I've wondered how many American lives would have been saved with General Garner running the show.
France’s stupid alliance with Czarist Russia was the real trigger of the war.
Those damned Bushes!
And Cheneys!
RE: That is a stupid comparison.
Can you please elaborate?
Right.
Anyone who doesn’t believe this should watch “All Quiet on the Western Front,” to see how really useless this war was.
Very interesting.
American confidence goes in cycles.
1950s - America is bold and confident
1960s - Confidence leads us into an Asian quagmire
1970s - National loss of faith from losing war
1980s - Rebuilding of national psych
1990s - America is bold and confident
2000s - Confidence leads us into an Asian quagmire
2010s - National loss of faith from losing war
2020s - ?
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