Six years ago today, President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq, a preventative war of choice based on "intelligence fixed around the policy." The purpose, according to Bush, was "to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger." Yet of course, there were no weapons to disarm and no "grave danger" to defend against. The war has spawned more terrorists and created deeply rooted resentment of the United States. Even including the billions of dollars Congress has authorized to bail out the nation's troubled financial institutions, this unnecessary war will most likely turn out to be "the largest spending bill in history," as Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) called it. Billions have been lost in waste, fraud, and abuse. Private contractors who have raked in billions from the war have established solid records of endangering the lives of Americans and Iraqis in the country.
More importantly, al Qaeda -- the main threat to the U.S. when the war was launched -- "has organized to pre-9/11 strength" because Bush turned his back on Afghanistan, a war in which the U.S. and its allies are not currently winning. However, the war in Iraq may be starting to draw to a close. Late last year, the Bush administration negotiated a security agreement -- or "withdrawal accord" -- with the Iraqi government, mandating that all U.S. troops exit the country by 2011. Last month, President Obama announced his own plan to speed up that process, ordering two-thirds of U.S. forces to redeploy by Aug. 31, 2010.
The facts are:
-- Through last Tuesday, 4,260 U.S. servicemen and women and hundreds more from coalition countries have been killed in Iraq since the war began. Tens of thousands have been physically and mentally wounded. In fact, suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans "may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care."
-- According to Iraq Body Count, nearly 100,000 (maybe more) Iraqi civilians have lost their lives because of the war. Nearly 5 million Iraqis have either been internally displaced or left the country.
-- A U.N. report released last month found that more than 25 percent of Iraq's young men are out of work, "a situation that is likely to worsen and threatens the country's long-term stability. ... Overall, the country's unemployment rate is 18%, but an additional 10% of the labor force is employed part time and wanting to work more."
-- A study released last month found that "Iraq accounts for 1,067 suicide attacks" anywhere since 1981, "a number that accounts for more than half (54.8%) of all suicide attacks" since that time.
-- The situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate as precious American and allied resources are still being used in Iraq.
~ The Progress Report
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Comments: 15
In retrospect, if Clinton's affair warrants impeachment, shouldn't W be on Death row?
YES.
You don't know that. Lack of WMD's could just as easily mean they were moved -- which many believe.
And to suggest that the world would be better with Saddam still in power is silly. To suggest that Iraqi's would be better off and have less people dying with Saddam in power does not square with FACTS.
Yeah, Donnie. Maybe Harry Potter hid them behind his Cloak of Invisibility.
("Many" believe in the Easter Bunny too. Until they grow up and get a clue.)
Don, the biggest problem with the Republican Party is that they misinterpret everything Democrats (not necessarily Liberals) stand for. Unfortunately, you haven't a clue of what we really do stand for except what you're fed by your favorite politicians and media personalities. And they haven't a clue either. Worse yet, none of you will listen to anything we say. You have blinders and earplugs and chose to keep them tightly in place so you don't have to see or hear the truth.
To use logic like "You don't know that [there were no WMDs]. Lack of WMD's could just as easily mean they were moved -- which many believe." can be used to justify anything at all. "You don't know they weren't going to nuke us, maybe all their nuclear weapons were destroyed when we dropped ours on them."
Pretzel logic. Believe whatever you want, but you need evidence to justify things in the real world.
Opinions coming from someone who uses "overtaxed" as his flag of convenience, living in one of the lowest taxed countries in the industrialized world, a country massively in debt even before the current economic crisis blew the top of the debt and deficit, have to be seen as suspect.
You don't want to pay taxes but you want a functioning society and civilization. Grow up! Adults have to pay their own way and your taxes are the way you pay for your society and civilization.