Reasons for War

[calbert at hslboxmaster.com]

Quail:

> Reasons for the war:

May 6, 2002 Posted: 2:45 PM EDT (1845 GMT)
"Two months ago, a group of Republican and Democratic Senators 
went to the White House to meet with Condoleezza Rice, the 
President's National Security Adviser. Bush was not scheduled to 
attend but poked his head in anyway--and soon turned the 
discussion to Iraq. The President has strong feelings about 
Saddam Hussein (you might too if the man had tried to 
assassinate your father, which Saddam attempted to do when 
former President George Bush visited Kuwait in 1993) and did not 
try to hide them. He showed little interest in debating what to do 
about Saddam. Instead, he became notably animated, according to 
one person in the room, used a vulgar epithet to refer to Saddam 
and concluded with four words that left no one in doubt about 
Bush's intentions: "We're taking him out." 


Respectfully....let's at least consider the implications of the 
above.....
> 
> 1. To disarm Iraq. The weakest reason, I agree: Iraq's chemical
> munitions aren't really that threatening to the US. But nevertheless,
> this gives us the *pretext* for "legal," UN-sanctioned war.

No, it would give such to the UN.........and that is why Scrub's 
action lacks UN sanction.....

> However, the UN is hardly an impartial observer,
> and France and Russia are even more self-interested in Iraq than we
> are. All must play the charade, learn the steps of the dance.

THis again ignores the fact that Russia and France weren't the  
only countries opposed to Scrub's effort, in fact,  it would be  
difficult to find  1st  world democracies of any consequence, other 
than the UK and,  barely, Spain (where domestic opposition runs 
over 80%) who committed to that line.....It has become a critical  
part of the propaganda cloud to focus  on France and Russia as if 
THEY  stood well outside  a consensus.....


> 
> 2. To ensure that Iraq never becomes nuclear. In my opinion, a much
> better reason than the above, especially given the fall of the USSR,
> the breakdown of Chechnya, and Kimmy about to pop out nukes like
> hotcakes. Left in power, one day Saddam would probably get a nuke or
> two, and that would give him a dangerous amount of control over the
> Middle East.

Fine.....But the subject  of any such threat is also capable of  
flining nukes and  likely worse. Hence  what you fear  is no more  
threatening than the current  stalemate twixt India and Pakistan.... 

> 
> 3. Remove a regime that actively fosters terrorism.

This is asserted over and over as if it had ever  been made 
manifest....Does Saddam sponsor hoods in the 'hood? Sure, they 
all do...but bear in mind that before hostilities he was a two time 
loser looking at a third strike.......I seriously doubt  he'd want any 
fingerprints on any action taken against a real  U.S. interest.....as 
a sponsor of noxious anti-US terrorists, he is not even a close  
third to the likes of  Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, whose ISI was 
nose  deep in the Taliban....

> 4. Liberate the Iraqi people. It is more than rhetoric; and in many
> ways, it is our duty -- after all, we helped build this monster. No,
> we didn't create him,

We certainly worked hard to ELEVATE him to  his recently 
surrendered status of one of the principal military powers in the 
region......SO anxious was Scrub's dad to do so that export  credit 
fraud was not only encouraged but cultivated.......these "agricultural 
credits" guaranteed the payments to vendors  of WoMD, US and 
foreign......

" and no, we weren't the main powers that aided
> him --"

We  weren't?

 but we certainly failed miserably to do something in the past,
> during the Iraq/Iran War and during the Iraqi intifadah after the Gulf
> War. And yes, I am aware of the irony of killing some civilians to
> liberate them. But to use Noam Chomsky's reasoning against him, how
> many Iraqis will *not* perish over the next few years because Saddam's
> gone? The Devil's calculus, indeed.

Agreed.....Did G*d choose  Scrubby as his vessel of  liberation for 
the oppressed of  the world? I have my serious doubts.....and  
wasn't that one of the principal arguemnts fopr our adventure in 
S.E. Asia? How many times are  we obliged to "crash in the same 
car"?
> 
> 5. Foster an Arab democracy. Iraq is rather secular, well-educated,
> and sophisticated. If democracy can take root here, it will flourish,
> and really have a lasting impact on this region. It was a good place
> to start, and the insanity of Saddam Hussein gave us the pretext to
> wade in there with a big bag of fertilizer. However, if we fuck this
> up, it will be a catastrophe. This is a risk, a huge gamble, and it
> will be insanely difficult -- but it can be worth it.

Apply that thinking to Jordan..................All the benefits, less of 
the risks.........
> 
> 6. Demonstrate American power in a post 9-11 environment. Here's the
> one that will get some people squawking, I'm sure! But I think one of
> the reasons for this war was to demonstrate the sheer power of the US,
> our ability to move a half-million people across the world and take
> over a country within a month. That sends a very, very powerful
> message to the region. Is it frightening?

Whom do we want to scare?


Of course! Is it
> imperialistic? Certainly it has elements of imperialism. Will it have
> drawbacks? Most certainly. But I am pretty sure that, when the smoke
> clears, it will leave some states with a healthy respect for a
> superpower that has shaken off Viet Nam for good. Make of that what
> you will.


Its kind of a charming moebius strip of logic.........I won't hold it 
against you, pal.....

> But the complexity of the matter demands a more distanced view
> from those of us who balance emotion with intellect, compassion with
> resolve.

Uh, just  cause it bears  repeating....This effort  was  directed by a  
guy with an IQ somewhere in the mid teens.......with the exception  
of  an  obdurate and obtuse resolve, Scrub manifested no such 
qualities....I appreciate  very much your  desire to be "even  
handed", but  sometimes the stooge attached to the stogie really 
is a  stooge.....

> The next few months are going to be very interesting. I pray to God,
> Allah, Jesus, and Shai Hulud that the US does not fuck things up.
> Please, let us finally take a serious stance on the Israel/Palestine
> problem next.


And how.....particularly if you will  still  honor that  raincheck for the 
MB tour.......................cfa in da hood, y'all.....

and if anyone  is NOT watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force  - what 
the H. is wrong with you?

love,
cfa
> 
>