Differing views on the level of threat Iraq poses to the United States.
That's exactly right.
Presumably, there would be some level of threat beyond which you wouldn't be willing to tolerate it. If I recall, Al has stated that he would never be in favor of attacking Iraq unless they had previously attacked us (this doesn't square with his position in regards to Kosovo, but I think the reasoning is clear on that).
I am not sure why you have problems with Kosovo. There was a dictator in charge who in some ways was more violent than Saddam. Over 400k died in Kosovo due to his purging of Muslims.........not a war with his neighbor like Saddam and Iran but a purging. His aggressive behavior threatened the well being of the region which happens to be where our NATO allies are located. The US was required under NATO obligations to respond.
How this leads you to conclude that Iraq and Kosovo are analogous is beyond me? I think your accusation that Al and I are saying one is okay and one is not based on who was president is your excuse for not looking closely at the reasons for going to war with Iraq.
I also can say when Clinton made his case for going in, it made logical sense, it made obligatory sense and was predicated on a sense of duty rather than paranoid fear. I was never once worried that things might get out of control nor that there would be serious repercussions for the US going forward. And to date that has proven true.
So, what exactly is required before YOU find this war to be appropriate?
A clear and present danger to our allies or ourselves.
Would you require an attack on our soil?
No.....if Saddam fired a missile at our embassy in Turkey, or began a forced march towards Israel, I would say its a done deal.
What about the government holding 100 Americans hostage as did the Iranians?
If we went to war over that issue, we would be going to war 24/7. Americans are valuable commodities......and very stupidly, we put ourselves in harm's way or in the position of being kidnapped all too often.....ie the human shields in Iraq.
Or, would you NEVER find it appropriate? I'm assuming your answer isn't "we would have to have a liberal president at the time". So, what exactly are your criteria?
I told you what my criteria is........its based on rational thinking that comes from fact, not innuendo and/or assumptions. Where there is a true danger to the US or its allies. I was not opposed to going to war in Kuwait under a Rep. president. I was not opposed to going to war in Kosovo under a Dem. president. I am opposed to going to war against Iraq under this president.
Until they were silenced, many of our most important former and current generals including Mr. Powell himself were opposed to going to war against Iraq. Its the political operatives in Washington who want this war, not our best generals. Don't you find that surprising.....its usually the other way around. In any case, I don't trust nor do I respect the political operatives under the current administration.
ted
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