What Bush was Right About in Iraq

[Iplayboard]

I must preface my post by saying that I have been drinking, so excuse any puncuation errors. However all opinions expressed are genuine and thought out.

Opponents of Bush said, "You can't bring democracy to other parts of the world where it doesn't exist."

Well it appears as though others like are little idea of democracy after all. Lets look at Lebanon. Many people there want freedom. Howver, there are also protests againsst the US there. Im wondering if the protests have more to do wiht the US as a country then with our ideals of democracy. Do the protesters not want US help because we are simply the US and we are evil or because they genuniely dislike are ideas?

If only Bush had said 2 years ago that our purpose in invading Iraq was to liberate the Iraqis, as opposed to him saying that after no WMDs surfaced. I saw through his bullshit about WMDs, and so did most of the world.

If only Bush would apply his world philosophy to other Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia....

They have perhaps the most oppresive government in the world in terms of civil liberties abuse.

[Sephus]

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I saw through his bullshit about WMDs

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did this realization come to you during study hall?

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Hi,
I guess the majority of moslems want democracy. It is why this invasion is such a failure since many pro-democracy people ends up as US enemy instead of ally. The same sentiment I see among exile Iranians here. They want democracy in Iran but still many of them would fight against a US invasion.

No government in Iraq will have legitimity until it is not dependent upon US backing.

[ACPlayer]

No government in Iraq will have legitimity until it is not dependent upon US backing

First the Iraqi's have to form a government. The exercise in democracy so far has led to many a smoke filled backroom discussion of how the power is to be shared amongst a select few. And even this backroom boys cant decide.

Incidentally, I dont believe anyone in the public says "I want democracy". What they may say is, I want a safe environment for my family, the ability to work and make money to support my famiy, and the ability to explore my surroundings unhindered by outside interference.

Democracy is one way to deliver these to the average person. It may be the best or perhaps there is something else that can evolve that would be better. One reason, I am so opposed to imposing Western Democracy -- perhaps these guys if the emerged, based on their own initiatives, from under oppresssion would create a new better form of govt.

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If only Bush would apply his world philosophy to other Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia....

They have perhaps the most oppresive government in the world in terms of civil liberties abuse.

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No, not even close. Stop repeating bullshit you hear as fact.

[partygirluk]

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If only Bush would apply his world philosophy to other Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia....

They have perhaps the most oppresive government in the world in terms of civil liberties abuse.

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No, not even close. Stop repeating bullshit you hear as fact.

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I think it is pretty close to being true. Some countries like Turkmenistan and Sudan might beat it, but the Saudi gvt is pretty oppresive. Especially with regards to women.

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If only Bush would apply his world philosophy to other Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia....

They have perhaps the most oppresive government in the world in terms of civil liberties abuse.

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No, not even close. Stop repeating bullshit you hear as fact.

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I think it is pretty close to being true. Some countries like Turkmenistan and Sudan might beat it, but the Saudi gvt is pretty oppresive. Especially with regards to women.

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It is nowhere close to being true ie one of the worst in world. However it is oppresive. I'm not defending Saudi Arabia as much as saying there are far worse places in regards to civil liberties.

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FYI (http://www.freedomhouse.org/media/pressrel/033105.htm)

This is not a favorable report for SA either.

[BCPVP]

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If only Bush had said 2 years ago that our purpose in invading Iraq was to liberate the Iraqis, as opposed to him saying that after no WMDs surfaced.

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What was the name of the military operation that liberated the Iraqis...?

[jokerswild]

for ever suggesting that the Saudi's be deposed. You have stated what they would see as a terrorist statement which would be cheared by Osama bin Ladin. It wouldn't surprise me if you get audited for simply suggesting it here.

[Il_Mostro]

Didn't it start out as Operation Iraq Liberation, aka OIL? Or is that just a rumor I've heard?

[player24]

We invaded Iraq because our "intelligence" at the time suggested that Iraq had (or was close to developing) weapons of mass distruction. By failing to fully comply with UN mandates regarding weapons inspections, the Iraqi Government provided circumstantial evidence that our intelligence was correct and that they were in fact hiding something. Given prior hostilities directed at the Kurds, Iran and Kuwait, we believed that we should justified in forcibly requiring Iraq to disarm.

We (the Bush Adminsitration and Congress) made a mistake by accepting faulty intelligence as fact. The President should admit this mistake to the American people and explain that our mission in Iraq has changed to one of liberating the Iraqi people from the oppressions of a ruthless dictator.

I strongly disagree with those who deny that a mistake was made, including those who now suggest that liberation was a material part of our initial reason for waging war and those who ascribe evil motives to those (majority of Americans) who supported the invasion of Iraq as a means of preempting the prospects for a larger, more dangerous conflict.

So, we made an honest mistake and we cannot turn the clock back and correct the mistake. We can, however, rally around the realistic possibility that we can (eventually) improve the quality of life for Iraqi people and set a standard for democratic reforms throughout the middle east.

History will record the fact that mistakes were made. Hopefully, history will also acknowledge that the ultimate outcome will justify the costs of waging this war. Time will tell...

[BCPVP]

I've heard this too, but I what I found from a quick google didn't provide anything very conclusive. It wouldn't suprise me that they would rename it. Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) was original supposed to be called Op. Infinite Justice, but it was decided that calling it that would offend muslims who believe only Allah is capable of providing "infinite justice".

The point remains that part of the objective of invading Iraq was to free Iraq from Saddam. It should be noted, also, that Saddam was given an ultimatum that he and his sons leave the country. But there were so many other reasons to attack Iraq, that narrowing them down to the one that failed to be correct is just a thinly veiled attack on Bush.

[CCass]

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First the Iraqi's have to form a government. The exercise in democracy so far has led to many a smoke filled backroom discussion of how the power is to be shared amongst a select few. And even this backroom boys cant decide.

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The Iraqi's must be good students, because it sounds like they have learned the US system very well. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[ACPlayer]

I strongly disagree with those .... and those who ascribe evil motives to those (majority of Americans) who supported the invasion of Iraq as a means of preempting the prospects for a larger, more dangerous conflict.

As someone who opposed the war I dont ascribe evil motives to the millions who supported the war, as they were simply duped.

We (the Bush Adminsitration and Congress) made a mistake by accepting faulty intelligence as fact. The President should admit this mistake to the American people and explain that our mission in Iraq has changed to one of liberating the Iraqi people from the oppressions of a ruthless dictator

I dont think it enough to say we made a mistake. The mistake must be thoroughly investigated. Including the predisposition to depose Saddam on the part of Bush/Cheney before both 9/11 and following 9/11. A thorough shedding of light on the decision making process with complete transparency would help.

As it stands, I dont think it was a "honest" mistake.

[Il_Mostro]

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I've heard this too, but I what I found from a quick google didn't provide anything very conclusive. It wouldn't suprise me that they would rename it

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Yeah, I've seen it mentioned a few times, but don't really know. I just found it funny.
And not at all strange that they changed the name, someone in the PR department probably lost their jobs over that one, it was a little to obvious /images/graemlins/smile.gif
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But there were so many other reasons to attack Iraq

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You mean like the Wofowitz memo?

But on the other hand, let's not go there, there's a reason I don't participate in the Iraq threads.