Can we all agree on this with respect to the Iraq war?

Question

I think the one statement that almost everyone would agree on, given what has happened over the last four years, is that it is difficult, if not impossible, for America to go to war if the American people do not see a threat.

I'm not asking whether the war was right or wrong - the polls are what they are, whether history will judge this war as advisable or not.

Also, do you think pre-emption would ever be a accepted as a justification by a substantial portion of the American public? If not, how do we prevent possible attacks?

Is the choice now to attack every rogue regime trying to get nukes? Or some other strategy, which includes "accepting" a nuclear armed Iran, North Korea, etc.?

Also, would people really have favored the Iraq war if we had found WMDs? Wouldn't he have used them? People predicted 10,000 dead the first month - would people have said "we should have left him alone!"

If the war ended in 2004 would people have complained, even if no WMDs were found?

PS i do support the war - I think it will be a very bad thing if we do not prevail - but obviously many Americans don't see it that way.

I do not feel the administration has done a good job making its case at times.

John - you prove the point. Bush specifically said we can't wait for the threat to become evident! Again, maybe Americans should accept the policy, maybe not - but the fact is they DON'T.

Bush said we can't wait for the sign of an imminent threat because the smoking gun might be a mushroom cloud. We don't have perfect intelligence. EVERYONE would support a war after a city is gone, but is it possible to prevent that from happening without "breaking and entering" where we are not needed, and causing instability rather than reducing it?

On which side do we err? Is SDI a solution? Can it work? Or would that make it worse?

PS I realize many here think that Bush's policy is not merely wrong, but just a cover for something else. ("War for oil," etc.) Again, that just proves my point - can this policy ever receive popular support, even assuming the sincerity of the leader - which many do?

Answer 1

If there were a clear and present danger, the American people would have backed this war in great numbers. Lacking that, all we are doing is nation-building and terrorizing. Pre-emptive force is ALWAYS an option, but should only be used when there is concise and unquestionable evidence of an impending attack. This evidence was lacking in this case, and most that was given was doctored or untrustworthy.

I am opposed to this war and have been since before the onset. I didn't see the "looming mushroom cloud" this administration used for it's push to war, and history proves that this view was correct.

I viewed this as a violation of UN resolutions, nothing more, and as such, the UN's problem.

If, in fact, Saddam had been pursuing WMDs, that, again, is in violation of UN resolutions, and, therefore, the UN's problem. Bush Sr. spoke very eloquently on the need for UN support and unilateralism. His son would have done well to heed those words.

"Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land." George H W Bush - A World Transformed

Answer 2

we were told by the U,N, inspectors and also the international nuclear agency , that there was no evidence of nuclear weapons nor bio, weapons but, our C.I.A. chose to believe the Israeli Mossad, who's agenda was to get rid of Saddam, as he was their worst enemy, I feel the President was also aware of this,since it is obvious that unless you do what Israel wants you will not get elected nor reelected, and Israel has the biggest and richest lobby in Washington, who can and will buy the needed votes to get any thing Israel wants from the U,S, This is a small group of people yet they control our complete political system, remember Ariel Sharon's statement ( we have America in our pocket, ) they do,
and the American people must organize and rid America of these parasites and become free once again, they have taken money out of our citizens pockets who needed this money to feed their families, and they have made America the laughing stock and despised by almost every nation on earth,
they have confused the American public to the point, they don't know what or where to turn and the Jewish owned news media just adds to the confusion, and that is the way it is planned,
now the Americans can't even agree on the time of day.
at present there is no way anyone could get the American people
to agree to much of any thing as they have been lied to so much by our politicians and our press,

Answer 3

The problem with America is that they are quick to place blame and accuse foriegners without proof. Then they use war as the first resort to boost the spending on their Military Industrial Complex.

America was involved with every single major war that ever happened on earth since the country started.

Answer 4

I think you have posed every important question. Historically, no foreign county has made much difference in Near East. Cultures are developed by it's members.

Answer 5

You make some interesting points but not everyone will agree with you.