Donuts And Politics

I have documented each response, where necessary, with credible sources, so I hope that upon reading this, people can legitimately take a second thought about this war and whether or not it was truly needed. And if anyone has credible evidence that disproves anything I am writing, I am more than happy to look at it.

Reasons why the Iraq War was necessary & My Response

1. Iraq’s firing on US planes in the no-fly zones.

This is a true fact, and did occur with some frequency. However, I personally don’t believe that this is justification for launching an all-out, full scale invasion of a country. A limited military response could accomplish the goal of stopping these pot-shots from occurring without causing over

33,000 US casualties (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/) and over

150,000 83-90,000 documented Iraqi civilian casualties. (http://www.iraqbodycount.org/)  Estimate of actual amount of casualties: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7180055.stm) *updated  4/28*

2. Iraq’s harboring of Al Qaeda.

This is a common misconception, allowed to fester by the Bush Administration and some of the media. This is no shred of evidence Iraq ever harbored or allowed Al-Qaeda to operate within its borders. There was never any cooperation between Saddam and Al-Qaeda. In fact, the evidence clearly shows the two did not like each other whatsoever.

1. As of the war, in 2003, the State Department listed 45 countries in which al-Qaeda was active. Iraq was NOT one of them. http://web.archive.org/web/20030403220403/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/terrornet/12.htm

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Surprising Political Endorsements By U.S. Troops

Check out the article above. Granted, its just one article on a few soldiers, but the implications are interesting to think about since it seems like most people here tend to assume troops in the field support the fact that they are there, and thus support the Bush/Republican Party. Apparently, that’s not the case. Soldiers don’t toe some party line, as some of you can personally attest to. They don’t, I am sure, appreciate 15-month repeated deployments to a country that doesn’t want them there and to a war that we already won (so why are we still there????), or to be put in the middle of a civil war where the only solution is political, not military. Shocking, I know.

After 5 years and much loss in Iraq, what is your opinion on the war and its results? Was it worth fighting? Was the Bush Administration honest about the war purpose for war valid? Did the war make the US safer? What should the plan be going forward? What are the long-term and/or short term consequences of the war on the US and our role/standing in the world?

Let’s hear your views….