Kindly let me correct your "big picture".
I'm afraid that you are missing the big picture. The removal of Saddam from power, has been the policy of 3 U.S. Administrations. This policy was made U.S. Federal Law under President Clinton. CLINTON DID NOT HAVE A UNILATERAL INVASION POLICY BASED ON FAULTY OR NON-EXISTENT INTELLIGENCE PROVING ANY IMMINENT THREAT. HE DID BOMB THE HELL OUT OF EVERY KNOWN OR SUSPECTED WMD SITE THOUGH, WHICH MIGHT HAVE DONE THE TRICK. REGARDLESS, A RESPONSIBLE PRESIDENT BENT ON INVASION WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO FIND OUT FOR SURE WHAT'S WHAT, PUT TOGETHER A GLOBAL COALITION AND MADE A CAREFUL POST-WAR PLAN, COMPLETE WITH TELLING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OF THE COSTS
Not only did the presence of Saddam make the entire region, less stable, AND YOU BELIEVE IRAQ IS MORE STABLE NOW EVEN WITH 150,OOO OF OUR TROOPS THERE? but forced the United States to keep a large military presence in Saudi Arabia. YES SADDAM WAS A BIG PEST WE HAD TO KEEP IN A BOX, BUT NOW THE US HAS AN EVEN BIGGER PRESENCE IN THE ME, MORE PERMANENTLY, AND IT IRRITATES THE ARAB STREET EVEN MORE. PLUS, WE ARE NOT LEAVING SAUDI ARABIA
This military presence (in Saudi Arabia) was the reason that OBL started killing Americans. AND YO THINK IRAQ WAR IS GOING TO GIVE OBL LESS OF A REASON? HOW ABOUT MORE OF A REASON? ESPECIALLY WITHOUT A GULF WAR STYLE COALITION. ALSO HOW ABOUT FINISHING AFGHANISTAN AND THE WAR ON TERROR FIRST? NO EVIDENCE OF ANY AL QAIDA CELLS IN IRAQ. A DIFFERENT WAR SUCKING UP ALL OUR RESOURCES
Further, it is absolutely clear, that even if Iraq WMD programs, were not destroyed, but at best, mothballed.
THRE IS NO PROOF ANYTHING WAS MOTHBALLED. LIKELY DESTROYED, MAYBE LONG AGO, BUT NO ONE KNOWS AND N0 KNOW KNEW LAST YEAR WHEN BUSHIES SAID THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY SURE AND KNEW WHERE THE WMD'S WERE. THAT WAS A LIE. THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID THEY WERE SURE. THEY KNEW THEY WEREN'T SURE. KRISTOL SAID ON THE EVEN OF INVASION WE MAY NOT FIND ANY WMD'S. THEY KNEW.
IMO, if the gas centrifuge found buried (in Iraq) had been found by UN Inspectors, everyone, including France, Germany and Russia would have taken part in the invasion. THE CENTRIFUGE IS A SMALL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT BURIED FOR 12 YEARS AND NO ONE KNOWS WHETHER THERE WAS ANY REASON FOR IT EXCEPT NOT TO THROW AWAY SOMETHING VALUABLE. ALL CONJECTURE. THE BUSHIES TOLD US WE WOULD FIND A NUCLEAR PROGRAM, TONS OF WMD'S, ICBM MISSILES, AND THAT THEY HAD THE INTEL BACKING THAT UP, MUCH OF WHICH WAS CLASSIFIED THEY SAID. SO THEY COULD ONLY SHOW US A LITTLE BIT OF IT. IN FACT THEY HAD NO RELIABLE INTEL ABOUT THIS, AND THEY FAILED TO ASK THEMSELVES IF CLINTON'S BOMBINGS AND UN INSPECTIONS HAD NOT DESTROYED ALMOST ALL OF IT. BESIDES, WMD'S HAVE A SHORT SHELF LIFE SO I HEAR.
ALL IN ALL, IT WAS A SHODDY AND DISHONEST ARGHUMENT TO BEGIN A UNILATERAL WAR WHICH FRAYED ALLIANCES, COST US ON THE WAR ON TERROR, AND WORST OF ALL HAD NO POST-WAR PLAN THAT WAS THOUGHT-OUT OR RATIONAL. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? ANY WHY TELL US SADDAM WAS AN IMMINENT THREAT WHEN HE WASN'T ANYTHING OF THE KIND? CLEARLY, THIS WAS WAS ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE. OIL, POLITICS, REVENGE, ISRAEL, MONEY TO BE MADE ON THE WAR FOR SPECIAL INTERESTS, WHATEVER. BUT NOT TO PROTECT US FROM AN IMMINET THREAT. THREE WASN'T ONE. AND THEY EITHER KNEW IT OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT. SO EITHER THEY WERE DISHONEST OR INCOMPETENT. TAKE YOUR PICK. |
