Posted on 08/13/2015 10:39:27 AM PDT by WilliamIII
WASHINGTON — Businessman Donald Trump said Iran is as powerful as it is today because President George W. Bush's war on Iraq took out its main adversary.
Trump, speaking on the Fox News Channel "Hannity," said he opposed Bush's decision to go to war against Iraq based on claims that the country had weapons of mass destruction. The weapons were never found, and Bush's brother and fellow GOP presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, said in May that "knowing what we know now I would not have engaged—I would not have gone into Iraq."
Trump said that he warned before the 2003 invasion that the move would destabilize the Middle East.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
An Israeli nuke could really “elevate” them and their camels too.
Not only did Bush take out Iran’s adversary, Saddam, but Saddam was promptly replaced be a govt of pro-Iran Shiites. And this was years before Obama came in, so don’t tell me to stop “blaming Bush”
Trump isn’t afraid to say politically incorrect things. With a lot of GIP voters it’s still politically incorrect to tell the truth about what a stupid move the Iraq war was
Correct, and Iran didn't have to do anything but sit by. It eliminated an enemy (Iraq) which they had just fought a long bloody war, and left them the only power in the region.
Watch out for that 3rd rail Donald!
It’s too bad that Trump is purveying the canard that those weapons were never found. Some of the nerve and disease problems in many troops from GWI are because the weapons were, indeed found, all over the place. Two guys who were in that one work at the shipyard where I work. One says they had to load that stuff on trucks and many developed interesting cancers years later. Jason has had several surgeries and a chemo that after years of stalling the VA finally paid for. Rick just says he was sworn to never talk about it before he separated.
It’s too bad that Trump is purveying the canard that those weapons were never found. Some of the nerve and disease problems in many troops from GWI are because the weapons were, indeed found, all over the place. Two guys who were in that one work at the shipyard where I work. One says they had to load that stuff on trucks and many developed interesting cancers years later. Jason has had several surgeries and a chemo that after years of stalling the VA finally paid for. Rick just says he was sworn to never talk about it before he separated.
“Nonsense” was taking out Saddam - Iran’s no one for and the guy who kept Islamists under his boot
The Iraq war wasn’t just a disaster for the middle east, as trump says, it was also a disaster at home - by paving the way for Obama election, riding in on bush’s unpopularity
The nonsense was not taking Iran to task for training and arming insurgents headed into Iraq.
We should have made Iran pay a heavy price for that.
We would be in the situation we’re in today if we’vd have pounded some sense into Tehran.
Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the west has tried to use western logic on Arab tribal issues. It worked predictably.
We should have chosen our target more carefully back then, and said to hell with the UN and the continuing delays they caused. The WMD did indeed exist, but were moved to the Bekaa Valley while our satellites watched.
We should have taken out Iran, but the Saudis were more concerned with Saddam after watching him take Kuwait.
Iran has always been the key. Now they have infiltrated the White House and taken over our policy making, all for the caliphate.
Once Saddam Hussein was deposed, Iran sponsored groups quickly took control of Shiite politics, making US soldiers and the entire project captive to Iran’s desires and pressure. In deposing Saddam Hussein, we destroyed Iran’s most lethal opponent.
I can’t quite understand how that obvious fact was missed in Bush’s war planning
the other lesson - the division of present-day US politics prohibits such wars from being waged. The USA could have controlled and pacified Iraq, but it would literally have to have become a US colony. We would have to be prepared to kill many more, if necessary, and stay a minimum of 50 years. Vietnam was the same - but US politics would not allow it.
What are you talking about? Iran didn’t have to fight us by sending insurgents to Iraq. The Bush administration set up a new Iraq govt composed of Shiites who’d been living in Iran to get away from Saddam. And the new constitution explicitly said sharia law comes first. That’s what our 4000 troops died for. And it cost the U.S. more than $1 trillion
If it’s a “canard” that there were no wmds you’d better tell Bush and Cheney, because they both say the intelligence was bad and there were no wmds
He’s absolutely right.
Ask the Christians in Iraq, while there are still any, if they are better off now, or under Saddam.
An Israeli nuke could really “elevate” them and their camels too.
Yeah, that’s the problem with Bush’s invasion. He took out Iran’s arch- enemy, so Iraq and Iran were no longer a check on each other. Now, to stop Iran ....
The troops know better. The excuse for Bush keeping silent was that he didn’t want the Iranians and other enemies scrambling to find those WMBs. Israel found a bunch of them in Lebanon nd launched a couple of air strikes against what it thout were Iraqi WMD dumps that had been relocated to Syria.
I believe Saddam did have WMD in 2003, although not as active as in earlier decades.
But, got to question HOW and WHEN Saddam embarked on WMD (including chemical & biological weapons). It started in the 1980s and Saddam gradually acquired the technology through Western help. Germany, France, the UK, and even the U.S. were selling weapons to Saddam in the 1980s and indirectly through commercial companies helping Saddam develop them.
Post-Gulf War, and only after Kuwaiti invasion by Saddam, the West suddenly woke up to the possibility of Saddam using WMDs more broadly, and then the West tried to contain Saddam’s aggression until 9/11 happened.
I agree with the rest of your comments and Trump’s too about Saddam’s removal. But, regarding WMDs, it was a problem we helped to develop to begin with.
Also, we didn’t need to invade Iraq to remove Saddam. He could’ve been removed by other means. And, at any rate, the Mullahs’ interference in Iraq and related ambition have had a long history. GWB administration should have been both aware of that history, as well as factored Iran in when planning for post-Saddam Iraq.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.