Who was right all along?
I would like to know how it is possible that the CIA got everything wrong about Iraq. I can understand when they say that they know the exact locations of WMD plants that they could be wrong on one or two, or even miss some, but all of this fabricated intelligence had to come from somewhere. Do they rely on one paid source for all of this information?
Isn't it at all possible that the Bush administration put pressure on the CIA to give them all the proof they had, no matter how shaky, to help them in their march to war? I can understand why nobody in the CIA would testify in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee that they were directly pressured by the administration, they would probably lose their jobs.
The other major problem is that everyone believed these lies. Back when Bush was making the case for war, the questions were over who should deal with this WMD problem, the UN or the US? Bush made the case that the UN weapons inspectors were so inept that they couldn't find WMDs. The administration then kept saying that they knew the exact location of these WMD plants. Three questions:
1. Why didn't Rummy give the UN the location of just one of these places?
2. If we had proof that Saddam had WMDs, why was it good enough for congress but not for the other members of the UNSC and the UN body as a whole?
3. Why doesn't every asshole who knocked France for not supporting this war apologize and say, 'I am sorry for being a horse's ass; you were right and I was wrong.'
What have we learned from all of this? The US has ruined its reputation in the international community. We went to war without a UNSC resolution to protect our national security because they wanted the inspections to continue and didn't want to authorize a pre-emptive attack without solid proof to justify it. We liberated a people that have no reason to love us (since we were the ones insisting that sanctions remain against Iraq, even if it hurts the people more than it hurts Saddam) and have no reason to believe that a friendly democracy will arise. We've spent hundreds of billions of dollars, nearly a thousand US soldiers have been killed, countless Iraqi civilians have been killed, and for what? Are we safer now then we were a year ago? Have we alienated ourselves from countries that were helping us to curb terrorism because of the war in Iraq?
I know that Saddam was a horrible leader, I do not support him or what he did, but that was not what this war was about. Why aren't more Republican's outraged that they were duped into supporting this war? Why do we have to have a Democratic nominee for president that was a sheep who supported this war?
I still do not see how a large part of the American public still supports this war and the president that led us into it. I'm beginning to lose faith in the American public.
No it's not possible that Bush put pressure on the CIA.. Already there have been a few investigations done looking into the failure of the CIA.. and there are a number of reasons why they thought there was WMDs. If you read the report by the WMD experts that was just released recently.. Everyone inside Iraq thought Saddam had WMDs, I'm talking his Generals.. they all thought Saddam had WMDs and when they found out he didn't have them they were shocked... so did everyone outside Iraq.. and by everyone, I'm talking the Germans, French.. Russians.. Syrians, Iranians.. US.. everyone.. cause that is what Saddam wanted us to believe. He was hoping for sanctions to be lifted, and then to restart his WMD programs.. and that is where the whole Oil for Food program came in.. he was hoping that the French, Germans and Russians would be able to get the Sanctions lifted.
Republicans aren't outraged about being "duped" because we weren't duped by the President.. but by Saddam.. you should read the interview of Saddam since his capture.. Saddam had felt that WMDs gave him great power.. one he feels it stopped Iran from invading Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war in the 80's.. then after the First Gulf War, he felt it stopped the US from going to Baghdad after we liberated Kuwait. So he always wanted to get his WMDs up and running again. Also it was Saddams job of providing the evidence that he had destroyed his WMDs.. which he didn't.. the burden of proof was on him.
We haven't alienated any countries from ourselves.. Terrorism and Al Qaeda is a threat to all the countries in the world.. and we have been getting great cooperation from many of them. The French are helping us fight Al Qaeda in Northern/Central Africa.. the Germans and the rest of the EU are helping in Europe.. One thing you have to understand.. most countries don't have the capability to send forces far away from "home".. So mostly they help us where they can and that is close to their home.
Your arguements don't really make a lot of sense.. and you try and sound compassionate. but u don't take any of the issues on.. you talk about how we pre emptively attacked Iraq, without solid proof.. yet Solid proof isn't something that is always possible in the real world.. we aren't talking law enforcement.. we are talking the defense of our Country.. with WMDs and Terrorism.. that doesn't leave us alot of options unless we want to deal with those terrorist.. and possiblely.. those WMDs here in the US.. Are we safer? sure we are.. you can't turn a blind eye and pretend we are back to pre september 11th. Even before then we were under the illusion that we were safe.. but we weren't.. we were being attacked.. and Bin Ladden declared war on us way back in 1996/7. The War on Terror isn't just about Bin Ladden, or Al Qaeda.. it's about all terrorist and those that support them.. which Saddam was doing.. Al Qaeda is but one "group" allied with a bunch of other Terrorist groups.. The bombing in Madrid.. that was planned 2 years before we even went into Iraq..
If Kerry wins the election.. those 1000 troops u pretend to care about.. their sacrifice will have been for nothing.. those Iraqis civilians that are dieing for their own Democracy.. that will have been for nothing. For the Terrorist will feel they have won.. They will find a place of to rebuild their forces and be on the attack again.. God knows how many they will kill. At least by going into Iraq and Afghanistan we take the fight to the enemy.. deny him a safe place to plan attacks.. and to train for attacks.. Thousands of Al Qaeda have been killed.. hundreds captured.. and many of it's top leaders captured and killed.. The GWOT isn't something that will end overnight or in a few years.. it'll be a ongoing struggle, most of it taking place outside the eyes of the media.. Iraq is just in the medias camera now..