Explaining the war to young adults

[US27inKS]

My daugter is a freshman in college. Today we had a discussion about what she was learning about the war in Iraq. It seems that her college is living up to the stereotypical liberal teachings that seem to induce college kid war protests. Not that they shouldn't protest, but I think they're taught a very one sided view.

Here's what I told her my understanding of the reasons for the war were. If your understanding differs, please feel free to call me names while posting your views. After all this is a political subject and we all know it's going to go there anyway.

Saddam got a bunch of chemical weapons (that we sold him) to help fight the Iranians. We sold him the chemicals because the Iranians really pissed us off in 1979. Later Saddam decided to invade Kuwait. We (the US) decided to kick his ass for this. After we humiliated him, Saddam took it out on his enemies within his own country, mostly the Kurds and Sheites. We got the UN to say no more chemical or nukes for Saddam. The UN sent Hans Blix and others to check up on him. Saddam kicked them out of the country making everyone think that he had lots of chemical weapons or possibly a nuke. Saddam really didn't care what the UN thought, because he was trying to bluff Iran into thinking he could nuke and gas them at will. When the US said to let the inspectors back in or we'll kick your ass again, he thought we were bluffing. Georgie wasn't bluffing. As it turns out, Saddam didn't have any chemical weapons because he either got rid of them or used them all up. I guess Saddam should have folded early.

What did I miss?

[Stillraining]

not much and Im printing that out and letting my 3 kids read it...Thanks..

[sailingdog]

You missed the entire part about Georgie lying about not knowing that Saddam had used up all his WMDs and no longer had any... and using his "possession of WMDs" as an excuse to fulfill one of Osama bin Laden's predictions...of the Great Satan invading and occupying an Islamic oil-rich country.

[petegingras]

Appropriate topic of discussion, as I finished my taxes over the weekend I thought to myself. Now this money that was withheld from my earnings is going for…oh ya building roads, bridges, schools, etc in a country that we, just as you put started the whole problem [paraphrase].

I guess we have to applaud a county’s need to create war, right? After all the Egyptians set off in their boats to conquer somebody, then the Portuguese, the Spaniards, and the English eventually did the same, and now we’ve got worldwide sailing routes. And where would we be without our military? They gave us the Internet and GPS.

I’m off thread and off track, but how bout the US Government doing a little less investing in Iraq and more in the US, they can start by dredging the entire Intercostal, cuz I’m gonnna bring a boat up, mid may and I don’t want to depend on the Spring floods for depth.

peace

[SURV69]

I don't know if Bush lied, or didn't believe his intelligence(by choice or necessity).

The breakup of the Soviet Union was a real "biggie", didn't just happen "overnight" and U.S. intelligence missed it completely.

Maybe the perceived lack of quality of available intelligence played into this situation?

[US27inKS]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

You missed the entire part about Georgie lying about not knowing that Saddam had used up all his WMDs and no longer had any... and using his "possession of WMDs" as an excuse to fulfill one of Osama bin Laden's predictions...of the Great Satan invading and occupying an Islamic oil-rich country.

If we believe that Bush knew about the lack of WMD's in Iraq before going to war, then we also have to believe one of two things. A. Congress also had seen the same intel reports and decided to go to war anyway, and the few dissenters (like Obama) decided not to share that piece of info with the world as an explanation of why they didn't want to go to war. or B. Congress did not see the intel reports, and voted to go to war because George told them to.

I don't find either A or B very plausible.

[sck5]

Saddam did NOT kick the inspectors out of the country. The UN pulled them out because we told them we were about to bomb the piss out of the country.

See here:

Weapons Inspectors Leave Iraq, Along With All Other U.N. Personnel, By Orders Of Kofi Annan - CBS News

Its also worth noting that after hundreds of inspections they didnt find anything at all - The more cynical and paranoid among the war critics believe that the Bushies launched the war when they did because they started to get worried that they would prove there werent any - My own belief is that they launched the war when they damn well wanted to and nothing or anyone was going to get them to change course, WMD's or no WMD's. Here is what Blix said about it (He confirms they didnt find any but wouldnt say they proved there werent any at the time they were pulled out)

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Blix promises tactful inspections

[petegingras]

and the few dissenters (like Obama) decided not to share that piece of info with the world as an explanation of why they didn't want to go to war

the good senator, Obama, wasn't in the Federal congress, he was in the Ill. congress running for the Federal seat he now holds. As for your B belief, are you really thinking W. and Dick shared anything? They bulled their way with fear and threats of, do you want another 9/11 because you're aginast this invasion. This war is Bush covering for H.W Bush.

[sck5]

Oops. Got the wrong link on that last one - Here is the right one, after the pullout

Online NewsHour: Newsmaker: Hans Blix -- March 17, 2004

[sck5]

US27

Your option B is correct. Dont forget that voting for the war resolution was made into a major political campaign point in the Fall of 2002. It was made very clear to all congressmen that if they didnt vote for the resolution they could count on being labelled as disloyal osama lovers in their reelection campaign. Also, many of them made the mistake of actually believing the President of the USA about WMD's when in fact he was lying through his teeth. See the links in this site

The Downing Street Memo :: What is it?

For a mainstream press report, see

British Intelligence Warned of Iraq War