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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Neil H who wrote (149755)10/29/2004 12:30:22 PM
From: Michael Watkins  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
You are right - the securing of the oil ministry and pipelines first is somewhat of a red-herring, but you are wrong in your appraisal that the issue is merely political, since in this issue lie clues that the administration failed to comprehend the true requirements of the war.

The war was justified and called first and foremost because Bush claimed Saddam Husayn had active WMD programs and was a clear and present danger to the US in that Saddam could hand over these weapons to terrorists.

Faced with such a clear cut rationale for war, the easily identifiable first objectives of the war are:

1. Secure the weapons, before Iraqi army, resistance or terrorists could get to them
2. Secure the rest of the country, infrastructure, etc.
3. Keep the peace.

Months and months and months have gone by, including many months after the infamous "Mission Accomplished" theatre on the deck of an aircraft carrier - and still the so-called WMD, or their dangerous pre-cursor components - are not secure.

It is patently clear that there never was a coherent plan to secure Iraq's arms stockpiles.

And there was never a clear plan to keep the peace either, which is why oil exports are continually disrupted and why Iraq can't even produce its own gasoline, and has to buy fuel at outrageous prices from Jordan.
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