Many conservatives simply won’t admit that Bush II started an unnecessary war. And many liberals simply won’t admit that Hillary is thoroughly corrupt.
So there is blindness on both sides.
As for Trump colluding with Putin, no way. It doesn’t make any sense. if anything, Putin would want to see crooked Hillary win. She can be bought off. But not Trump.
Exactly. WMD’s or not, that was an ill-advised military adventure. In fact, centering the discussion on WMD’s misses the point, which is that we have no business deposing foreign governments.
Here are some of the reasons stated to invade Iraq:
Iraq’s noncompliance with the conditions of the 1991 ceasefire agreement, including interference with U.N. weapons inspectors.
Iraq “continuing to possess and develop a significant chemical and biological weapons capability” and “actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability” posed a “threat to the national security of the United States and international peace and security in the Persian Gulf region.”
Iraq’s “brutal repression of its civilian population.”
Iraq’s “capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its own people”.
Iraq’s hostility towards the United States as demonstrated by the 1993 assassination attempt on former President George H. W. Bush and firing on coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones following the 1991 Gulf War.
Members of al-Qaeda, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq.
Iraq’s “continu[ing] to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations,” including anti-United States terrorist organizations.
Iraq paid bounty to families of suicide bombers.
The efforts by the Congress and the President to fight terrorists, and those who aided or harbored them.
The authorization by the Constitution and the Congress for the President to fight anti-United States terrorism.
The governments in Turkey, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia feared Saddam and wanted him removed from power.
Citing the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, the resolution reiterated that it should be the policy of the United States to remove the Saddam Hussein regime and promote a democratic replacement.
I thought it wasn’t a good idea back then..I still think it was a bad idea.
Too many were gullible and desperate enough to fall for his "Christ... He changed my heart" line during the Republican debate and they fell lockstep behind him just like that.
Had there been no George W. Bush in the White House, there would have been no Barack Obama. And Obama wrought much of the destruction he accomplished because Bush the Lesser set precedent for it.
American leadership is no better than what the people elect. For the eight years of George W. Bush at least, even too many professing conservatives proved they could at times be blithering idiots.
He used the information he had and his strategy was a continuation of his predecessor. In the end it was a poor decision but it was a widely help opinion in multiple branches of government and the military. There was no lying into war or manipulation. It simply turned out in retrospect to be a much more difficult task than any military planner anticipated in their thousands of strategies.
I am still happy the destabilization of the region by Hussain and his sons was ended. We would be worse off if they were still in power. Israel and the Middle East is much better off post-Saddam.
Putin said at the summit he wanted Trump to win.