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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (70904)	9/16/2004 12:25:55 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793779

I don't understand it. Could you explain it to me. Knowing what we know now, why was this a necessary war? Here's my 25 words or less explanation. After 9/11, the US could no longer let the Middle East stew in its own dysfunctional juice, since that would mean more 9/11s heading our way. Destroying the AQ bases in Afghanistan and working to make Afghanistan a functional country (a long slow haul) was a natural step 1, but only a first step. The next step was to more aggressively trying to turn the terror-master states into semi-decent places. But where to start? Only Iraq was feasible, since only there would the people support our invasion. Also, the current situtation there was untenable. Sanctions were failing, France & Russia were working hard to lift them. If nothing was done, sanctions would soon be gone, the US would do a massive climb-down, Saddam could play with his weapons & fund terrorists unhindered, and the US would have lost the 12 year war with Saddam as he beat his chest and proclaimed himself victor. The whole Gulf would have feared him and kowtowed to him, and the lesson of the Clinton years, that there was no price to be paid for attacking America, would be reinforced. If America could win in Iraq, the Arabs would once again acquire some respect (ie fear) for American power. But for that to work, we have to stick it out. Nothing we have learned since 2003 has changed any part of this reasoning.