Re: "no mandate to march on Baghdad"
>>> Right, no mandate... only hard, cold military common sense. One doesn't wound a bear, and then walk away... without expecting future difficulties.
>>> As to the American public's willingness to accept a march on Saddam to replace him... I think the overwhelming majority of the public was QUITE ready to accept (indeed: demand) that. Remember Pres. Bush's 90% favorable ratings during the war?
>>> As to a "mandate"... get real! When have we ever had a mandate? (Unless you count the trumped-up Spanish American War!)
As to: "not been US policy to support authoritarian regimes, per se"
>>> Right. Not... per se. But as long as the dictators were willing to play friendly with the oil (and later, during the Cold War, not ally themselves with the Communist enemy) than we were more than ready to turn a blind eye to any piccadilloes or authoritarian tendencies. Else, how can you explain the US's failure * in three separate instances * to support indigenous efforts post Dessert Storm to overthrow Saddam? We didn't back the Kurds (despite publicly promising we would), nor the Shia rebellion, nor the Congress of opposition groups. Nope, word is we (first Bush admin. was running official policy at that time) were waiting for a rebellion from WITHIN THE RANKS OF SADDAM'S MILITARY. We wanted a pliable dictator to replace the old, no-longer pliable dictator. No democrats, no ethnics need apply!
Re: "typical American lack of foresight"
>>> Just 'cause we don't think through foreign policy issues very thoroughly... doesn't mean there are all that many examples of OTHERS evidencing extraordinary foresight either... maybe it's the human condition to be short-sighted and venial. |
