"But that just begs the oft-asked question, is America then planning on removing every tyrannical government around the world? Clearly that isn't the goal."
Clearly that was not the goal for this war.
My post was in regard to a discussion about liberation. I'm
sorry if it was misunderstood to mean anything beyond that.
The reasons for this war have been hashed & rehashed ad
nauseam.
In time, history will be the final arbiter of the pro's &
con's of this debate............
As I understand it, tyrannical governments were not the
issue of serous or immediate concern to America or the Bush
Administration.
As far as public pronouncements from our leadership, I
believe that one main reason for this war with Iraq was
thier WMD's & their WMD programs. Actually it stems from
the Gulf war cease-fire agreement. Iraq agreed to disarm
itself of all offensive weapons, ET AL. Included among
offensive weapons were all forms of WMD's.
Twelve years & 17 resolutions later found that diplomacy &
the UN had utterly failed to bring closure to the
unresolved cease-fire terms. However, the US tried one last
time to use genuine diplomacy, but with the credible threat
of force if Saddam failed to comply immediately, fully &
unconditionally.
We now know that France, Germany & Russia had more than
$100 billion reasons to balk at the credible threat of the
use of force. The removal of Saddam could mean funds owed
to them would not be paid. They also had a number of multi-
$ billion contracts for lucrative future deals with Saddam
that would not be honored.
The most damning problem for these three nations was their
many, many billions worth of illegal weapons, parts,
maintenance & expertise that were sold prior to & after the
US began honest diplomatic efforts resulting in UN
Resolution 1441. In fact Russia & France continued their
illegal weapons deals long after resolution 1441 passed.
Russia continued even after the war began.
The use of force to disarm Iraq would expose their illegal
activities and bring serious financial problems to these
countries.
The attempts to scuttle diplomacy by France, Germany &
Russia were painfully obvious prior to these disclosures.
At least we now know the reasons why.
We gave the UN 12 years to find & dispose of Iraq's WMD's.
Their own reports established that this task was no where
near complete. Many argued to give the UN more time.
Coalition forces have hardly been in country a month.
Almost 100% of that effort has been prosecuting the war,
bringing humanitarian aid & restoring order. Serious
searching for evidence of WMD's & WMD programs has only
just begun.
Another main reason for this action had to do with the fact
that Iraq harbored, trained financed & supported terrorism.
The evidence was presented prior to the war. There have
been two terrorist camps destroyed, one with links to Al
qaeda. Members of Al Qaeda have been found in Iraq &
evidence collected of Iraq's involvement with terrorists
has been secured. The arrest of Abu Abbas was only icing on
the cake.
No one from the Bush Administration has publicly made (or
privately leaked) any claim of Iraq's direct involvement to
9/11. President Bush made the Administrations intentions
clear after 9/11........
<font size=4>
"There is no room for neutrality in the war against
terrorism, and the international coalition against terror
will "fight this evil and fight until we are rid of it,"
"A coalition partner must do more than just express
sympathy; a coalition partner must perform," Bush
said. "That means different things for different nations.
Some nations don't want to contribute troops and we
understand that. Other nations can contribute intelligence
sharing. ... But all nations, if they want to fight terror,
must do something."
"Over time it's going to be important for nations to know
they will be held accountable for inactivity," he
said. "You're either with us or against us in the fight
against terror." <font size=3>
cnn.com
<font size=4>
"Yet, tens of thousands of trained terrorists are still at
large. These enemies view the entire world as a
battlefield, and we must pursue them wherever they are.
(Applause.) So long as training camps operate, so long as
nations harbor terrorists, freedom is at risk. And America
and our allies must not, and will not, allow it.
(Applause.)
Our nation will continue to be steadfast and patient and
persistent in the pursuit of two great objectives. First,
we will shut down terrorist camps, disrupt terrorist plans,
and bring terrorists to justice. And, second, we must
prevent the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical,
biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United
States and the world." (Applause.)..................
............ My hope is that all nations will heed our
call, and eliminate the terrorist parasites who threaten
their countries and our own. Many nations are acting
forcefully. Pakistan is now cracking down on terror, and I
admire the strong leadership of President Musharraf.
(Applause.)
But some governments will be timid in the face of terror.
And make no mistake about it: If they do not act, America
will. (Applause.)
Our second goal is to prevent regimes that sponsor terror
from threatening America or our friends and allies with
weapons of mass destruction. Some of these regimes have
been pretty quiet since September the 11th. But we know
their true nature. North Korea is a regime arming with
missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving
its citizens.
Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror,
while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope
for freedom.
Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and
to support terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop
anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a
decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas
to murder thousands of its own citizens -- leaving the
bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This
is a regime that agreed to international inspections --
then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime that has
something to hide from the civilized world.
States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute
an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the
world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these
regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could
provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to
match their hatred. They could attack our allies or
attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these
cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.....
....We'll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I
will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not
stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United
States of America will not permit the world's most
dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most
destructive weapons. (Applause.)
Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun.
This campaign may not be finished on our watch -- yet it
must be and it will be waged on our watch.
We can't stop short. If we stop now -- leaving terror
camps intact and terror states unchecked -- our sense of
security would be false and temporary. History has called
America and our allies to action, and it is both our
responsibility and our privilege to fight freedom's fight.
(Applause.)..... <font size=3>
whitehouse.gov |
