I support Isreal and will always. But to attack Iraq is insane. And it makes no sense. It may be gratifying in some cathartic sense but it will not solve Islamic terrorism. It will only ger worse. We are ppicking out Iraq because it is easy. Our elite doesn't have a relatinship with them. Our Foggy bottom diplomats are used to dealing with Saudis and not Iraqis. We don't have a press anymore but press handout readers. ANd our policy wonks have always wanted a war long before 9/11 with Iraq as a means of establishing their "mideast western Athens" in Islamic culture.
True. Is it not so that Algeria had a free election about a decade ago. Radical Muslims won, and were shortly overthrown in a military coup. Rumor had it that MI6, the Mossad, and the oil interests supported the military coup. And that these same Western interests help the shieks and dictators maintain power all over the mideast.
I don't know how much of this is true, but I don't believe the West wants real democracy in the mideast. They only want democracy to the extent that the people elect "leaders" we approve.
I'm sick of being lied to by our govt. I'm sick of The State expanding at home and abroad. Every day we walk further down the path of Imperial Rome -- bread and circuses to keep the masses complacent, foreign wars in distant lands.
I prefer Browne over Buchanan, but Buchanan termed it right. We are exchanging our Constitutional Republic for a corrupt empire.
Burke, the Islam world is already united against the United States. All, so called "friends" are openly known by both sides to be phony symbiotic, use and be used, friends, for as long as it can be stood by either side.
Can there be any doubt in a thinking person's mind, that the hereto, mostly silent invasion of Islamists against the west has escalated into an open declaration that they desire nothing more than eliminating our "decadent", "ungodly" way of life? They have openly stated that they intend to accomplish this through violence, immigration, refusal to assimilate, and conversion of the host country.
The old status quo that was before Sept 11, is no longer viable.
As to Iraq being the most "innocent." Innocent in what way? Innocent of directly flying the planes? Innocent of being active in encouraging agression against the United States and Israel? Innocent of funding terrorism? Innocent of possibly supplying WMD to terrorists?
Since most of the Islamic world see's Saddam as very secular, there may be some hot rhetoric, but privatly, most of them will probably be in the streets celebrating his death....except the Palestinians. They will probably be the main ones in the streets calling for revenge.
The corrupt leaders of the other Islamic/Arab nations will probably only mourn the big gifts not coming to them anymore from Saddam.
Do you not realize that we are the Soviet Union in that region? We support and prop up corrupt regimes all over the Arab world to stave off Radical Islam rule. We support the Mullahs of the house of Suad, the corrupt leaders of Eygpt, and the rest because the popular opinion is totally against us. We are like the Soviets in Eastern Europe. We support an elite and repressive structure in the Mideast that Al QUeada and the rest of Radial Islam capiralizes on. They love the fact that we support the House of Saud, or Jordan, Or Murbarhak. To Islamic radicals- we prop up oppressive governments with aid all throughout their lands. And they are right. And to top it off we support "jews" and Isreal.
Though these governments may be corrupt, and are not democracies, they still are easier to live with than the hard line strict Islamic regimes, which have zero tolerance for anything or anyone, not of Islam. They have demonstrated time and again, such as in Iran, that they will just as soon kill their own people, if they don't toe the hard line Islamic line. Their hatred of non Muslims and Jews, knows no bounds. To me, it is a good thing, to encourage the less strict Muslim governments as long as we can.
If I went by simply my own inclination, I would probably be an isolationist. Leave us alone, and we will let you be alone. Realistically, I know that they will never leave us alone. Thus, we must use the resources available to create the best possible climate for our citizens, at home and abroad.
I support Isreal and will always. But to attack Iraq is insane. And it makes no sense. It may be gratifying in some cathartic sense but it will not solve Islamic terrorism. It will only ger worse. We are ppicking out Iraq because it is easy. Our elite doesn't have a relatinship with them. Our Foggy bottom diplomats are used to dealing with Saudis and not Iraqis. We don't have a press anymore but press handout readers. ANd our policy wonks have always wanted a war long before 9/11 with Iraq as a means of establishing their "mideast western Athens" in Islamic culture.
I agree that our diplomats are most "used to" dealing with Saudi. However, though our intelligence structure was damaged during the Clinton era, I don't think the CIA would ever totally stop looking at Irag. We know that close contact was kept with the Saddam opposition.
As to the press. As one who watched daily the White House, Pentagon, and DOD briefings, I know for a fact that the press might get a read out, but they are like hungry sharks in the follow up questioning. Thus, I disagree with you that the press are essentially government lapdogs. In fact, they often made me wince with that demands for answers on some questions that would only harm our military in the field.
Burke, you have strongly presented the case for what we should not do. You have posted many posts for the case of not engaging Iraq. What do you believe should be the ongoing policy of the US, in the war against terror?