SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: tekboy who wrote (123003)1/12/2004 10:55:13 AM
From: carranza2  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
PS out of curiousity, can anyone think of any other player in the Iraq debate--on any side--so publicly and frankly admitting to having gotten important stuff wrong, and trying to draw honest lessons from the experience?

No, but the mistake was a reasonable one, given the facts that were known after Saddam kicked out the inspectors in 1998. Pollack makes this clear. From a political standpoint, of course, it doesn't matter to the Administration's opponents that Bush and his team made the same mistake.

Despite the mistake, it is clear that Saddam could not be allowed to survive because it is clear that his intention was to obtain a nuclear bomb, something that may very well could have happened. I therefore see Pollack's justification for the war as remaining essentially unscathed, though one may argue about the war's timing.

My reading of the tea leaves FWIW is that Bush wanted to push the Iraq agenda up the list because of re-election uncertainties. Bush after 9/11 may have concluded that it was imperative to go after Saddam during his first and possibly only term. There is no guarantee that a Demo President would have bitten the political bullet at a later and more dangerous time, particularly if Saddam would be then armed with a nuke.

C2@likegoingtothedentistforarootcanalyougottadoitbutnobodylikesit.com
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News