I tried to stay out of this discussion, but can no longer keep silent.
I realize Iraq is an authoritarian regime, run by a brutal dictator who has inflicted much pain and misery on his people. But what justifies the United States INVADING this sovereign nation?
In the 25+ years Saddam Hussien has been in power in Iraq, he has been involved in TWO -- count 'em TWO -- territorial conquests.
The first was the war in the early 80s with neighboring Iran -- which was OPENLY supported by the United States. This nation supplied what ws then our ally Iraq with weapons and encuoraged an invasion of Iran and overthrow of the regime if they could succeed (which didn't happen).
The second territorial expansion occurred in Summer 1990 when Iraq moved into some long-disputed territories in northern Kuwait. Read the history. These small provinces had been dsputed for some time by the two nations -- as they were under the authority of Kuwait. However, Iraq had never agreed to the boundaries and thus moved in and tried to usurp the lands. Again, this mission was GREEN LIGHTED by the American Ambassador to Iraq at the time, a bumbling idiot named Amb. Gillespie who met with Saddam Hussien a few days before the Kuwait invasion and basically said the United States would not intervene. Then, when Iraq went into Kuwait and overran the country, Gillespie came back to the Senate Foreign Intelligecne Community and basically lied her ass off about the meeting to save her job. This dumb cunt cost a lot of peopel their lives.
The Kuwait Royal Family was in an uproar upon seeing tanks in the Northern provinces and faithful oliman President Bush came riding to the rescue. "Operation Desert Storm" was laucnhed and the "war" was over six months later. The Iraqi Army was massacred.
What followed was a travesty. The Bush Administration did one thing while the secret contacts on the inside of Iraq did another. In February 1991, brave Iraqis were prepared to overthrow the Saddam Hussien regime and generals within the Iraqi Army sitting on the fence were ready to join the overthrow, but President Bush made it abundantly clear the war was to end at the Kuwair-Iraq border. As a result, the revolutionary movement to overthrow Saddam was squashed. Thousands were killed and tortured. All because the Bush leadership in "intelligence" communicated one thing on the ground within Iraq to the revolutionaries and another diplomatically. A two-faced, bold-faced liar. Now, we are stuck with the problems we have today because to utter and total INCOMPETENCE (not militarily -- which came through with shining colors -- but certainly politically and diplomaitcally).
My point is -- Iraq has NEVER shown any tendency to invade any other nation, nor does it have the capacity to do so. Iraq may be a very bad place. But the case has not been clearly made that this nation had anyting whatsowever to do with the 9/11 attack on the United States. There are also no connections between Iraq to the USS Cole, or any of the other major terroristic activities in the Middle East launched at American interests.
I have maintained a long time ago, that the Uhited States should get its ass out of that region. We have no business propping up corrupt autocratic regimes which torture their own people, deny rights to all people and make us less than the champions of liberty and freedom. Funny how the United States is utterly silent on human rights issues and abuses when it conflicts with oil or Israel.
It is up tp the President to MAKE THE CASE for an invasion or attack. I fear such a thing will have dire consequences for this nation on all levels -- militarily, socially, economically, and diplomatically and could conceivably lead to WW 3. That's the path we are headed on folks. If Iraq were invading nations and toppling governments left and right, that would be one thing. But that's not happening. And I DON'T trust my government nor do I trust the media, nor do I trust the so-called "intelligence community" (what a joke) to make wise, prudent judgment based on long term thinking and the national interest.
-- Nolan Dalla