Iraq then and now: Bush was right and Obama was wrong

americanthinker ^ | March 20, 2017 | Silvio Canto

[MarvinStinson]

This is the 13th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War II.

What if President George W. Bush had not invaded Iraq? I suggest this scenario:

1. Saddam Hussein would have become a bigger threat to the region. He had clearly come to the conclusion that the West would not stop him and was acting as such.

2. Iraq would have continued shooting at U.S. and UK planes enforcing UN resolutions. How many times do you allow someone to fire missiles at your aircraft?

3. What about Israel? We do know today that Iraq won't be attacking Israel or has WMDs to threaten its neighbors. We can thank President Bush for that.

Bush's critics need to answer one simple question: what if Bush had not invaded Iraq?

I have not heard anyone explain how the region would have been better if we had left Saddam in power.

Or, they say "knowing what we know now." They have to make a call based on what we knew then. What we knew then is that the twin towers had been brought down, Saddam Hussein was behaving very badly.

If Americans have learned anything since 9/11 is that when people say they intend to kill you please take them seriously.

The second question is: what if President Obama had left a force in Iraq in 2011 to protect our gains? This is a more relevant question and the Middle East is exhibit A of what our retreat accomplished.

For the moment, President Bush gets all of the criticism about Iraq and President Obama gets a free pass from a friendly media. Over time, it will change and Bush will get credit for leadership and Obama will be blamed for retreating and forcing his successor to have to go back in.

[MarvinStinson]

Wendle writes:

"ISRAEL?? IRAQ NEVER ATTACKED ISRAEL!"

Sorry you are so clueless, Wendle.

-----------------------------------------------------------

1991: Iraqi Scud missiles hit Israel

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/18/newsid_4588000/4588486.stm

Iraq has attacked two Israeli cities with Scud missiles, prompting fears that Israel may be drawn into the Gulf War.

Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv, and Haifa, its main seaport, were hit in the attacks, which began at 0300 local time (0100 GMT), when most residents were asleep.

Reports from Tel Aviv say the air was filled with the wail of sirens and minutes later up to eight missiles streaked in and exploded in balls of flame.

Residents scrambled for protective clothing and gas masks, issued to most of the population before the conflict began. It is the first time Tel Aviv has been hit in the history of the Israel-Arab conflict.

Israel has the strongest military forces of any Middle Eastern country, and has said that any attack by Iraq would bring massive "punishment".

The American President, George Bush, issued an appeal to Israel to hold back from retaliation for the attack.

Allied commanders have been ordered to make special sorties to seek out and destroy Iraqi missile sites and mobile launchers which could threaten Israel, and Mr Bush emphasised his determination to protect Israel from further attack.

Emergency meeting

The Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, called an emergency meeting of the ministerial defence committee of senior ministers and military officers to decide Israel's response.

After the day-long meeting, the Foreign Minister, David Levy, told journalists no decision had yet been taken on whether to retaliate.

"Israel reserves the right to retaliate in the manner and with the scale and method of its own choosing," he said.

Any Israeli military action could break apart the multi-national coalition against Iraq by provoking the Arab members to withdraw their support.

[MarvinStinson]

Wendle writes:

"ISRAEL?? IRAQ NEVER ATTACKED ISRAEL!"

Sorry you are so clueless, Wendle.

-----------------------------------------------------------

2 Die as Scuds Hit Tel Aviv,

January 27, 1991
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-01-27/news/mn-315_1_saudi-arabia

Patriots shoot down all but one of seven missiles fired at Israel. The Jewish state holds its fire despite internal pressure to retaliate.

|From Times Staff and Wire Reports

TEL AVIV — Iraq fired a rain of seven Scud missiles into Israel on Friday, and one crashed into a house in Tel Aviv, killing a neighbor next door. But Israel refrained from retaliating despite complaints that allied Scud-killing in Iraq has been too slow.

A barrage of Patriot interceptors blew apart the other six Iraqi Scuds in midair, scattering debris over greater Tel Aviv and near Haifa. Shutters shattered, windows broke and shingles fell on city streets. None of the Scuds carried poison gas. But 66 Israelis were injured, authorities said--most of them slightly.

Baghdad's latest military communique claimed that most allied attacks on Iraq were directed at civilian targets. CNN's Peter Arnett, the last foreign correspondent in Baghdad, said the Iraqis took him to a small town where almost two dozen homes were destroyed in what he was told was an air attack. The Iraqis said 24 civilians were killed in the attack, he reported.

The Scud attack also came as the United States was rushing more Patriots to Israel. The Israeli army said the U.S. missiles would be operational "in a short time."

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is trying to draw Israel into the gulf war in hopes of driving some Arab states out of the anti-Iraq alliance and onto Iraq's side in a war against their traditional enemy, the Jewish state.

Baghdad radio Friday night appealed to Arab officers and soldiers to defect. "Do you not feel proud," the radio said, "to see us stand up against all the Arabs' enemies, not scared or frightened? . . . Then why do you not join us?"

It wasn't clear if the often-jammed and static-filled radio, which was monitored in Nicosia, Cyprus, could be heard in the Saudi desert where Syrian and Egyptian troops are camped.

[sickoflibs]

He ‘kept you safe’

[Olog-hai]

Opus already?

[Liz]

Bush was duped into invading Iraq by the "American-interests-are-not our-interests neocon clan."

ITEM--After meeting over room-temperature Brie and chilled Krystal at the Four Seasons, neocons came back to their office IN THE WH, and duped GWB into believing the Iraq strike would cost $50-60 billion American tax dollars.

Later an angry Bush fired advisor Larry Lindsey because Lindsay dared to say the war might cost more like $100 billion.

That was in 2007 dollars.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY Iraq and Afghanistan today have cost the US some $3 TRILLION and counting....and rivers of young blood. We/re still pouring US tax dollars into those decrepit Mideast countries, and..... as Donald says....the US got NOTHING in return.

BTW, look who controls most of the Iraqi oil fields today.

Could THIS be what the calculating neocons are after (/snix)?

ITEM--The war profiteering was outrageous. Neocon godfather Richard Perle relaxing in Paris (above the fray---nowhere near his cohorts plotting in the WH Office of Special Ops) got so rich w/ insider info, the wsj reported Perle started his own oil company.

[Liz]

NEOCON KRISTOL: It’s profoundly depressing and vulgar to hear an American president proclaim America first
Biz PAC Review ^ | 01/21/17 | Scott Morefiel / FR Posted by Enlightened1

The Chinese put China first. The Russians put Russia first. Israelis believe in Israel first. So, what’s wrong with Americans seeking to put our country before a faceless, vacuous globalism that has eaten away at our manufacturing base, taken the lives of our best and brightest overseas, and threatened our standard of living for decades?

According to neoconservatives like Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, apparently a lot. Kristol let out a tweetstorm before and during Donald Trump’s “America First” themed inauguration speech Friday, highlighted by this gem: "I'll be unembarrassedly old-fashioned here: It is profoundly depressing and vulgar to hear an American president proclaim "America First."" “Depressing and vulgar…”

Wow! In a prime example a true globalist’s gloves coming off, Kristol and his neoconservative ilk can’t help but expose themselves for the anti-American hucksters they are.

In a classic example of the strawman fallacy, they like to link the movement to put our people first, just as every other nation does, to the often pro-Nazi “America First” movement that existed prior to World War II. But Trump is having none of it. (Excerpt) Read more at bizpacreview.com ...

[bankwalker]

but the electorate kicked him

You forgot to mention Ross Perot.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Yes. The Weakly Standard, and National Review, are neocon traitors to the conservative cause in general, and the USA in particular. I include the whole Bush clan.

[WENDLE]

Wait a minute— WE ATTACKED IRAQ 12 YEARS LATER. I missed that reason. silly me , I thought it was WMD. How could I have missed that?

[MarvinStinson]

Pathetic.

[Neoliberalnot]

I know people that went down in those towers too. I also know a weapons expert that made 37 trips to Iraq as part of the UN inspection team. Saddam had the weapons and moved them to Syria. The team also had an Iraqi mole that put Hussein’s weapons people a few steps ahead of the team.

The towers were taken down by mass murdering muslims. They come from all over the world to mass murder innocents, not just from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia did not support the attack.

[WENDLE]

It was the most pathetic blunder in our history as a nation. I agree.

[Liz]

Amen.

[dp0622]

Yeah that’s what he did.

I hope you’re joking.

[dp0622]

yeah and iraq was WAY too FEARSOME to knock out their weapons with air attacks /intense sarcasm

It was one of the most stupid invasions in military history.

He missed SA by ThisMuch

[dp0622]

He’s a one world govt piece of garbage who WOULDN’T insult obama but attacked Trump mighty quickly.

Oh and he’s clinton’s BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER.

Your type of president huh? Might have the wrong board.

[sickoflibs]

RE:”Yeah that’s what he did. I hope you’re joking.”

He kept Iraq from nuking us and spread Democracy and peace in the middle East

[dp0622]

BTW, UNC, El Al, The DC Sniper and the shoe bomber were under GW’s watch. I was in lockdown in Rock plaza because anthrax was put into the vents.

Even if your statement was true, the same effect would have happened if he invaded the RIGHT country, SA.

I guess we’ll have Bush apologists till the end.

[sickoflibs]

RE:”I guess we’ll have Bush apologists till the end.”

Look how happy these ladies are with GW.

[Neoliberalnot]

Unfortunately for you, the Colonel that was actually there is a good friend. He worked for more than 20 years at Ft. Detrick’s in the bioweapons program as a principal scientist. Somehow, I think you have little to offer in terms of experience. I choose to believe the Colonel.