<<< In case you didn't notice, we lost Gulf War I. Bush pere picked an arbitrary stopping point, stopped there, and declared victory, then let the Iraqis go home with whatever weaponry and ordinance remained. >>>
Saddam preemptively invaded another country. Bush I said that will not stand. He got everyone to support the war to oust Saddam from Kuwait. France, Germany, and just about everyone else kicked in money or arms to follow Bush I to oust Saddam from Kuwait.
Gulf War I was a total victory in every way. There was no talk of an illegal war. Everyone everywhere still loved us. We did not go into Baghdad because we didn't have an exit strategy. That was real smart not going in. Sanctions were in tact. There was a no fly zone over Iraq. As it turn out, the sanctions were working. Saddam wished for WMD but was unable to risk assembling them.
<<< Saddam further consolidated power and butchered all dissenters and their families and their neighbors, then refused to comply with the terms of the cease fire for more than a decade.>>>
It was unfortuante what happened to those people in Iraq. If Bush I made any mistakes, it might have been he did not support internal Iraqi insurgency more vigorously. But, that basically was not our problem. We could have made it our problem, but that case perhaps should have been brought forth to the people of the United States to decided if we wanted to support that cause. We could not support that through subterfuge or through some behind the door deal.
<<< It's precious to call cleaning up the mess his father left an Oedipal struggle, but several million dead Iraqi men, women and children probably would not find it so amusing if they could speak.>>>
You can not call what Bush I did a mess. He defined the objectives. He got everyone to agree. He executed perfectly - it was clean and sweet.
Contrast what Bush I did to what is going on now - prison abuse and diversion from the WOT not with standing.
There is a mess in Iraq. The mess did not start as a part of WOT. Iraq was not an imminent threat to us in the United States. No one in Saddam Hussein's Iraq was planning to attack us.
We still have to deal with WOT but Iraq should not be on top of the list. AQ and Iran should be. In fact if we were really Machiavellian, we could have used Saddam to fight Islam. He was not a friend of Islam or Islamic Jihad.
Don't mix apples and oranges. |
