++ [ originally posted by Vinman ] ++
Why was it the wrong choice ??
- he funded terrorists (Hamas and Hezbollah), and gave money to suicide bombers families
Iraq was the most secular of all Middle Eastern countries with only the exception of maybe Turkey. If there is any government there that is the antithesis of fundamentalist Islam, it was Iraq. It's no wonder why many Islamic fundametialists did not get along with the Saddam regime -- it was about Saddam long before it would be about Allah.
Iran, on the other hand, is run by fundametalists from Islam. They have a nuclear weapons program. Hmmmm...
- He invaded Kuwait, his soldiers raped and pillaged the ppl
That was addressed 13 years prior.
- He gased his own ppl, killing anyone and everyone in his way
I hate to be so brutal, but what concern was that really of American self-interest? Would we really even lift a finger to intervene with any third world country that conducts a gas raid on some of its ethnic minorities in its wage of a civil war? It's a red herring, because honestly no Democrat or Republican is going to put American lives in harms way to intervene on this issue alone.
- he tried on several occasions to obtain WMD (we may all find out later if Syria is "safekeeping" his arsenal)
What third world country isn't these days? I mean, we're pretty much in bed with Pakistan right now -- and Musharraf's administration has clearly looked the other way when it comes to terrorism in Kashmir, in Indian cities, etc. And yet they have nukes and we know it. And we know that Al Qaeda has regularly crossed over their unprotected border to hide out and make camp.
- He didnt follow any of the rules of surrender to the US after the Gulf War, and gave the UN constant problems with letting the inspectors do their jobs
I personally just can't make the leap of faith here to go straight to war being the answer to this. It's too simplistic -- it's how a 4-year-old would respond to a situation like this.
- he attacked our planes several times in the "no fly" zone, another breach of the agreement, and not to mention, an act of war
But we didn't declare war on China over the Hainan incident in 2000... why is that?
- several intel sources say that he had met Bin Laden on 2 occasions prior to Sept 11 (the enemy of my enemy is my friend)
The trouble is that intel sources can be rumor and innuendo until they can be confirmed. We have photographs of Rumsfeld meeting Saddam with chummy handshakes before 9/11, but that doesn't necessarily implicate Rumsfeld as a collaborator either.
ppl say Iraq has nothing to do with Al Queida. Tell that to the families of the headless victims. Al Queida didnt just show up there now...................
It certainly put a big advertising sign on the country and said, "Come on down! Get a piece of the Americans!"
But perhaps that's the strategy for American security. Make Iraq a big bug lamp for terrorists so that they don't have to travel as far to kill Americans. Why go overseas when it's much more convenient to kill Americans next door?
I guess you could say that's good for the homeland. But I don't particularly care for being the relative and friend of folks going down to Iraq as terrorism bait.