Posted on 01/15/2005 2:30:04 PM PST by Prost1
Chaos will flourish in the Middle East if President Bush’s policy continues unchanged
EVEN DONALD RUMSFELD, in his more private moments, must wonder if the invasion of Iraq was really such a good idea. It has become obvious to almost everyone else, including many such as myself who originally supported the war, that it has been a huge mistake. My support was based solely on the evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), on which the intelligence was exaggerated and which Washington has just admitted it is no longer looking for. There is absolutely no evidence that Iraq was supporting al-Qaeda. I believe that the real reason for the war, at least in the US, was to create a reasonably democratic, free-market Iraq to act as both a beacon and a rebuke to other countries in the region. That possibility looks more and more remote. The forthcoming elections look unlikely to produce a government with real authority and legitimacy, or to stop the violence, but they must go ahead; let us hope that they prove a step on the road to normality. Despite the bombing of the UN headquarters in August 2003, the current appalling level of violence did not begin until March 2004, a year after the invasion. It might have been more easily contained if the postwar administration had not made so many early mistakes.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
That's it in a nutshell, well said. Especially Muslim rogue nations, I think.
"Violation of 16 U.N. resolutions was the primary reason."
That's always been somewhat of a catch-22 to me. We blew off the UN's opinion of invading Iraq in order to enforce UN resolutions?
None of it matters now. Only thing that does is pulling off the 1-30-05 elections. Let's hope they go well and the insurgents realize they're fighting a losing battle.
Then you are a bonehead who doesn't listen or think. It makes me think you are not worth listening to.
Right out of the handbook of the Left.
The neo-cons refuse to face the facts that the TRUE conservatives who opposed this disaster were right...and the war-mongers like John Mccain were imbeciles...
Don't pick a fight with me, pick it with John Maples, the author!
Amazing. This guy has the ability to read Don Rumsfeld's mind.
"True Conservatives", Oh please.
I wasn't and I did. I quoted the author didn't I?
It is way too early for that statement to be true.
We live in a world of instant gratification where we want results now, not five years from now. The west (USA) has always had this mindset. Others who view the future, not as next week, nor even as next year, can see past the shortsightedness to see a world where we may be able to live w/o fear of being attacked.
The best way to reach that world is debatable, but it has been proved over the last 30 years that appeasement, relative to the mid east, will not work.
Just as it was right to free Kuwait 12 years ago, it was right to remove Saddam today.
Yes, we tried to get full UN sanction, but the "Oil for Food" payola was out there and we were only going to get worthless words out of the UN. I do not know how much of this we knew in advance, but this seems to me to be a new valid reason for taking down Iraq. We cannot abide with rogue governments who support terrorism, and we cannot abide with a country running an international crime ring. Since the UN was involved in the crime, we are justified in going in without UN sanction.
Quote: Right out of the handbook of the Left.
Just because you are against the war doe not make you a lefty. I voted for Bush twice but I've been against the war from the begining. I 'm not to keen on the muslims ability to support democracy. It goes against much of what is written in the koran. I support GWB on just about everyhting but Iraq and Amnesty for illegals. I was for the war with afghanistan.
I wonder if this isn't a little white lie?
Supposed 'Smoking Gun Document'letter to Putin from Saddam.
http://www.themedianews.com/DAGGER/9_11_Ass_Trail_Vreeland_.htm
"I believe that the real reason for the war, at least in the US, was to create a reasonably democratic, free-market Iraq to act as both a beacon and a rebuke to other countries in the region."
Which, IMHO, is a good reason in and of itself even in the absence of other reasons.
Afghanistan and Iraq are both opportunities to stop a wave that would very likely cause massive casualties unlike any we've seen. Bush is a leader because he isn't waiting around for that wave to hit--it doesn't take a leader to strike back after that wave reaches shore, anyone would. He is going to the source and sacrificing our people NOW so we won't have many, many more casualties later.
The Pat Buchanan wing of the party can bitch and whine all they want, but their response to the growing threat of militant Islam is "Well, next time they try something, we'll nuke em!" That's some answer! The author of this piece is completely clueless as to what terrorism is--it doesn't matter that Saddam wasn't behind 9-11. What matters is ripping up the root structure that is the acceptance of terrorism as a viable tool. Once you do that, none of these threats will affect our future.
The "Don't worry, we'll nuke 'em" crowd is self-satisfied and smug in their lack of contact with reality. The have the advantage of knowing that should a massive attack on the US occur, we'll be too busy dying or fighting to tell them they were full of crap.
FMCDH(BITS)
Agree, Iraq and our own borders have turned into disasters.
Saddam was never a threat to the United States. We pay billions for our nuclear subs to roam the 7 seas. Push come to shove we could have taken him and his little family out with a small tactical nuke or even a more conventional weapon fired from a sub or anything else. From the air, we could have kept Iraq on a short leash indefinitely without risking one American. They would have eventually behaved themselves. Anything offensive or threatening could have been eliminated so easily, without any invasion.
My suggestion for Bush? Open Saddams cell door, put a bullet in his head, declare victory, and leave that POS country.
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