Did any of you support the war back in March?

[Socialist Worker]

I felt like a complete outcast in March when I was the only person I knew against the war. Then again, I didn't know about this board. Were any of you pro-war back then?

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I vehemently opposed the war as did probably the vast majority on DU.

But not all. For the record, I also opposed the war on Afghanistan.

On edit: I opposed Gulf War I back in 1991.

[soothsayer]

16. I wanted to bomb---or at least stop--the taliban back at Bamiyan

Why we let them destroy those beautiful Buddhas (unless it was a LIHOP so we'd all hate the taliban) is beyond me.

[caledesi]

56. Same here. Vehemently opposed to the war.

[Don_G]

2. I Was Against It

No justice was served and no gains were made.

That said, I do support the troops dropped into a no win situation without adequate support.

[wtmusic]

3. Against it since Oct. 2002

and proud of it

[peacetalksforall]

4. I was totally against the war -

it was obvious and transparent to me that this was a corporate war, that we were going to make people hate us, that we would kill Iraqis unnecessarily, that our children would die for American and British corporations and multi-national corporate interests.

Wellstone: First vote in the Senate - against Iraq War 1.
Wellstone: Last vote in the Senate - against Iraq War 2.

[wuushew]

5. I will not name names but expect three high post-count members

Who are also Lieberman apologists to chime in on this subject.

[jiacinto]

88. I was against the war

Your subtle jab at me does not make you any less wrong. And I am not a "Liberman Apologist". But you are clearly someone who hates Lieberman for reasons that have nothing to do with his political beliefs.

[DrWeird]

89. Oh, you just don't like Michael Moore because he's jewish.

I suspect you're an antisemite.

[Skittles]

94. DR. WEIRD

:*

[fujiyama]

104. Micheal Moore's Catholic...

[soothsayer]

6. I do recall some folks here who were swayed by...

...Colon Bowel's sack of lies and poorly done children's drawings that were supposed to be evidence (the crap he presented to the UN).

Me, I was and am against invading other nations, especially ones we've been bombing every week for a decade. Ok, I was against that too, and the sanctions.

[laura888]

7. I thought anyone who was pro-war was nuts!

And it was a true wake up call to see the media as a complete cheerleader of the war.

Luckily, I found DU around that time and was able to remain sane.

[tkmorris]

8. A few.....

There were a few here back in March that supported it but not many. If not for this place (and my equally liberal wife) I would have had a hard time staying sane. I'm glad you found us.

Welcome to DU.

:hi:

[proud patriot]

9. I Marched along side 500,000 people if SF in March prior to the Invasion

They same day 15,000,000 worldwide marched breaking
the record for the largest single day of protest
against any single person's policy in World History .


In all actuallity you were in the majority at that time
by being against the Illegal Invasion of a soveriegn
nation that posed no threat to American Lives .

[calimary]

95. I marched in L.A. SEVERAL times.

I was an objector when even my husband thought maybe we better invade. He was VERY swayed by Colin Powell. I didn't have a lot of info at that time, but I knew enough to smell a rat. Fortunately, my spouse has long since come around.

But for those who are only now coming around to see the truth, okay, then. My attitude is - better late than never. Redemption can happen. People CAN come out from the Dark Side.

[salin]

10. was against it

have more mixed feelings about the ways to get out of it. Angry as heck at this adminstration for the chaos and quagmire they have created based on their ideological idiocy.

[maha]

Too bad you weren't in New York City.

Hundreds of thousands of us stood (and shivered) against the war on First Avenue last February, and hundreds of thousands of us marched down Broadway against the war last March. And when we marched, all along the way people waved and expressed approval. People were leaning out of windows and over balconies and applauding us. It was beautiful. I saw maybe six counter-protesters in all, and I walked the whole route, from Times Square to Washington Square.

[silverweb]

11. Absolutely not!

:bounce:

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JNelson6563]

14. busy shipping rose petals to Iraq

you know, to throw at our troops.....

Julie

[Jack Rabbit]

54. I remeber his posts

He was particularly snookered by Powell's presentation to the UN. Oh well, so was Senator Feinstein.

[JNelson6563]

13. was never for it

I knew it was a scam. Those bastards pulled it off too. I hope when their time comes they meet horrible ends.

Julie

[alcuno]

90. And it wasn't even a good scam; it was so obvious.

From the moment I heard Cheney droning on about Iraq's nuclear capabilities, I knew it was a scam. There are countries who have not been devastated by two wars, 12 years of sanctions, and no control over two-thirds of their country who can't get nukes, but Iraq can?

[dkf]

15. Completely against.

I heard Scott Ritter speak prior to the war. That man was right on.

[JanMichael]

17. I marched in Sarasota, Tampa & DC.

So NO...I did NOT support the invasion.

[Cat Atomic]

18. I protested it, and was openly ridiculed by people who now

just stand there silently and try to avoid the subject. Or complain about having to pay for reconstruction.

[angka]

19. in the face of open jingoist ridicule

i opposed this senseless, illegal war.

now i'm the one grinning smugly.

[lcordero]

20. At the time, I was(and still am) anti-war because I am against all

Republican policies. At the time, I saw that the same people that were/are trying to sell the Iraq Massacre are the same people that perpetuated the Iran/Contra scandal and the S&L scandal. I saw no reason to give them the benefit of the doubt since their past is so checkered.

Don't forget that 15 million people (worldwide) took to the streets in order to protest the Iraq Invasion in one day. One million of those people were in the US. I feel that for every time a person hits the streets, they are representing 100 to 150 people.

On edit: you aren't as alone as you think.

[lcordero]

46. BTW...I wouldn't support the Iraq Massacre even if Saddam did

have nuclear weapons. I feel that every country has a right to defend itself and has a right to be able to play on an even playing field.

[JohnKleeb]

21. NO

[Pastiche423]

22. NO!

I protested, w/the exception of one, every Saturday from October 10, 2002 until March 15, 2003.

[guajira]

23. Absolutely, Positively AGAINST Invasion for Oil!!

I was as sure as could be that there were no WMD's, no threat from Saddam, and sure that B* was lying!!

I got furious every time I heard him say something like - We have to get rid of Saddam, we don't want another 9-11. WTF????

And the media and DEMS let him get by with that!!!

[deadparrot]

24. Never

Nope, I was always against it. Unfortunately, I go to a very conservative Catholic private school where I was ridiculed by several of my classmates for my beliefs about it. But there was something that wasn't allowing me to believe that what we were doing was right. Looking back, I'm quite proud of myself for holding my own.

[wuushew]

37. Extremely effective argument against them

The Pope opposed the war, therefore they are pick and choose catholics.

[deadparrot]

42. Right

That's what I said. Then they said that since I was against the war I was one of those no-good baby killing bleeding hearts, so I was going to hell.

Don't ask me the logic behind it. ;)

[wryter2000]

25. No!

Never, ever, ever.

I will admit that when * was saber-rattling, I thought it might be a ploy to get SH to cooperate with inspections. If that had been true, he might have had my gruding admiration (but very grudging).

[maha]

41. Me, too.

I remember telling some freep who was flaming me last year that if the point to Shrub's saber rattling was to get the inspectors back in, and the inspectors went back in, I would forgive the saber-rattling and give Bush credit for doing a good thing. However, as we know, Bush didn't know when to quit.

I also believed Saddam Hussein probably did have biochemical weapons (not nuclear) going into the war, but I didn't see that as an adequate reason to invade. Inspection and containment could keep a cap on it, I figured.

Just had a flash, and I want to write it down before I forget it. Ideas don't linger in my brain as long as they used to.

The original military plan was to send much of the U.S. force down from Turkey, with another force moving north from Kuwait. But because Turkey decided not to give permission, the whole "coalition" force was huddled up in Kuwait for a period of time befoe the invasion actually began.

That was significant, because having our invasion force huddled up together in little ol' Kuwait made them tempting targets for a biochemical attack. It was as good as having most of the dadblamed Pacific fleet lined up at anchor in Pearl Harbor. A few biochemical "bombs" placed in a few places could have wiped out a considerable number of soldiers.

Yet the Bushies didn't hesitate to stuff all those soldiers into Kuwait. Could it be they realized there wouldn't be a danger of biochemical attack? Or is there something I'm not seeing?

[Jack Rabbit]

53. And me

I thought that Saddam might have some biochemical warheads, but nothing that would make an effective defense against American troops and certainly nothing with which he could maintain a sustained attack on his neighbors. It didn't justify war.

When he didn't use them on troops amassed at the border in Kuwait, I was amazed. It was then I realized he had nothing -- nada, zilch, zip. Some continued to insist here that he had weapons and that they would be found. I asked that they explain this rather perculiar behavior, since Saddam's conscience certainly did account for it.

As far as I was concerned the issue of Saddam's biochemical arsenal was put to bed in the first hours of the invasion, long before Dr. Kay issued his report last week.

[Mz Pip]

26. Actively against it.

Marched in SF, wrote letters, screamed at the TV.

For all the good it did. Sigh.

MzPip
:dem:

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[imax2268]

28. I was for

going after Al-Qaida and Osama...they attacked us so we needed to flatten them...

But I was seriously opposed to Iraq...and I would tell people that believed the bullshit coming from the white house...that this would be nothing but a huge mess...I stressed that fact...
There was all this push for war but never once did I hear about what was going to happen once we took over...

[Jack Rabbit]

29. We had a few vocal proponents of the war

Many seem to have vanished, although they weren't banned. I remember one in paraticular whom I shall not name who gleefully posted fresh "reports" of WMDs discoveries everytime they were available. I guess he got tired of seeing them refuted. He also criticized the BBC as "biased" and dismissed any reports there that cast doubts on the Bush/Blair pronuncements ahead of the invasion.

He predicted in a lengthy post that "lots of WMDs would be found" and concluded that one with "We (meaning Bush and his thugs) did the right thing." I snapped one back of considerable length titled "No one was liberated; no WMDs will be found". Well, I stand by that. I wonder if this fellow I have in mind still stands by his assertions.

[Iverson]

30. nope, very active against it

and I'd do the same thing all over again. Hey, I may have to.

[Benhurst]

31. I was against it.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Resistance Is Futile]

32. Absolutely not

There were a lot of good reasons to remove the Baath party from power in Iraq but it was obvious from the get-go that the Texas Fascist Party was invading for all the wrong reasons and had planned so badly that disaster was inevitable.

The only prediction I got wrong was that I was expecting Iraq to use chemical weapons against Israel leading to a nuclear counterattack.

[Terwilliger]

33. I was anti-war

for more reasons than the fact that it was a fraud

[not systems]

34. Against it.

Then and now.

[remfan]

35. Been against it since fall 2001 when they first began to float

the idea, and I remain against it.

[catmandu57]

36. There were a few who supported it

I don't recall exactly who, haven't heard from any of them for a while, I'm suspecting they were plants, who have since melted away as so many of the rah rah people have. I guess it sucks to admit to yourself that you've been played.

[WillyBrandt]

38. I was for the war in Iraq

And I was completely, totally wrong. There were valid reasons for being for the war, but they are and were totally false.

My own anger at the government's deception, and my being a rube to that deception, just makes me want the liars in chief replaced all the more.

[KoKo]

49. Willly, unless you have "reincarnated" under a different nick name, I

don't remember you here on DU at the time this poster is talking about. When Bush/Blair were pushing us into Iraq. So, gotta' assume you found us afterwards?

[WillyBrandt]

61. Yeah, I found you afterwards

I'm actually really new both as a reader and as a poster. I've been been agitating a bit recently.

[LWolf]

39. No.

I demonstrated, wrote letters, etc.

[Jazzgirl]

40. I was totally against it

and got in trouble months before the war for speaking my mind about Dubya. I actually had a big argument with several co-workers because they thought I should "support and trust the President because he knows more about whats going on than we do." I said no way would I ever be a sheep and be herded into believing something that was based on false and trumped up info. People were pissed at me for a long time. These same people won't even talk politics with me anymore!

Jazzgirl :evilgrin:

[Seneca]

45. welcome to DU jazzgirl!

Great post. :-)

[Jazzgirl]

64. Thanks for the welcome Seneca.

I have been "lurking" here for a few days and find it refreshing to know that I have a place to vent my frustrations. I only know two other people I can vent to without feeling like I sound crazy. Great forum to speak your mind. I have a serious problem understanding how people can believe everything they see on Fox/CNN/MSNBC without question. People don't try to connect the dots at all and its flustering. I'm looking forward to more great feedback on DU!

Jazzgirl :-)

[quaker bill]

43. I was against it in October

For all the right reasons, or so it seems.

[maxanne]

44. NO

I was busy freezing my ass off at peace vigils in northern NH.

[even]

47. There were some.

I was torn. Bush declared war after his vacation in Sept. 02. It was the roll-out.
Any president can make war for 60 days. Congress, Public opinion,and the UN. slowed it down. The inspector's work are now making him look so foolish.
There was no way to stop it. They wanted it,it had to be. I became very cynical I thought ok you Vrc come out now show us what you have been planning for 30years. and they did.

The Bush Ad. is the Toad stool that appears after the rain. The roots are now visible too. It is not enough to get rid of Bush,the whole mess must be discredited.
I didn't want a war but if it had to be I thought Let it be the end of these twisted people. Let everyone understand that their way is wrong.
That time is here.

[KoKo]

48. No, No.....so many of us were against it we marched and protested any way

we could. There was a small group of DU'ers who were "undecided," but I don't remember anyone here on DU who was totally FOR going into Iraq. I may have missed someone...but I don't think so!

[Spazito]

50. Against it....

as were most Canadians. For my small part, I attended protests, wrote letters, etc.

[ozone_man]

51. Very against it.

Got the whole family out there marching and cursing Bush. Haven't seen anything like it, since the Vietnam war.

[lovedems]

52. Totally against the war!

I kept telling my husband, "This doesn't make sense, they are not allowing time for the inspections to work, I wouldn't be surprised if they are bullshiting us." I thought I was crazy because everyone else seemed to believe something I thought was questionable at best.

[LoZoccolo]

55. Not in March, but in October.

I figured that threatening would get the inspectors back in and it did. But when Bush* started saying stuff like we didn't need the UN's permission, I started thinking what is wrong with him. Plus my dad explained a lot about the repercussions of the war...that it would cause a big cultural kind of a war like what the people in the former Yugoslavia had I started thinking more about it, and I think my turnaround was in January or early February. There was also this charade going on like we were getting impatient with the inspections that I could see through. I started getting so ticked off at the kind of twisted rhetoric that was going on to support it too (especially from Eric "Mancow" Muller) that I realized I had to take a risk and get out in the streets and be counted among those opposed.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

57. no...not I and the vast majority on DU protested it

[West Coast Democrat]

58. Why, exactly, did you feel like an "Outcast?"

I find it very hard to believe you felt like an outcast. Where have you been living? Millions of Americans were/are against the war!

Everyone at my office, and everybody I know is/was either against the war on principle, or thought it was just a low priority.

[loudnclear]

59. Totally and passionately against the invasion and now the war.

Same for Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and their attacks against Arab nations and our support of them...both financially and militarily. But I just feel powerless to do anything about any of this shit!

[expatriot]

60. You must not know very many other 'socialist workers' then...

there were many, many Americans against this war. Even in the most conservative towns and cities, many people voiced their opposition to the fascist war of first-strike. Where was the imminent threat? And if there were WMD it seems to me we are in a much dangerous place now than we were then... at least back then we supposedly knew where they were. Now they could be anywhere in any one's hands.

[West Coast Democrat]

63. Seriously. Don't Socialist Workers hang out with other.........

Socialists? And how many Socialists supported the invasion of Iraq?

I really find it hard to believe.

[hippywife]

62. Nope

saw it coming and luckily was informed on the PNAC early on.

[Jazzgirl]

67. I downloaded PNAC months

ago and tried to tell people about it. They didn't believe what I told them. I offered to mail it to them but they didn't want to see it 'cuz they thought it was BS "planted" by "left-wingers." I was horrified when I read it and knew there was no way to stop the move toward attack. It was all planned out years before and 9/11 was the catalyst that provided the opportunity.

Jazzgirl

[hippywife]

74. Oddly enough

just reading their statement of principles, there are many unenlightened, uneducated people who would have at one time totally agreed with them and still do. The "We're kickin' little brown butt" crowd. :eyes:

[laura888]

79. forgive my ignorance now...

...what did you know then? I really really want to know.

[Kitsune]

65. I never support war.

I understand that some wars (ie, WWII) may have ultimately been necessary, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it.

[jiacinto]

87. So you would have let the Jews be murdered then?

nt

[Dr Fate]

66. I am still pro-UN.

And unlike Bush,who now begs the UN for help, I was Pro-Un before this mess.

Unlike Bush, I never claimed that a fake "Coalition of the Willing" would somehow take place of the funds, research and troops that would have been provided by the "irrelevant" UN.

I am no pacifist, but I oppose the anti-diplomacy and flat-out LIES and media propaganda that Bush/media used to rally people against the UN and America's ultimate interests.

[karlschneider]

68. Not this puppy. I was against it from the first moment the idea was

floated. Knowing what I knew then (since hugely vindicated) about Shrub and Cheeny, it was absolutely clear to me that the whole thing was a farrago of bullshit lies. I was in the USAF during the VN "war" (never got sent there but certainly could have been) and lost a number of friends in that fiasco.

[Solly Mack]

69. Not me.

But no one is going to get anything for being right about it...

Everyone loses in this clusterfuck

[knight_of_the_star]

70. Solidly against!

I marched against it in DC in March prior to the invasion. Too bad it didn't slow Bush down much though.

[indigo32]

71. No

by March I'd already been protesting the war for about 9 months.

[BonjourUSA]

72. I never read a post which defended this bullshit

I only met outcasts here.

[Cheswick2.0]

73. *#@#@*@*@#@$@## NO!

Absolutely not

[amber dog democrat]

75. No way would I EVER support this war.

Or any others like it.

The only war I think it made sense for us to be involved in was the Korean War in the 1950s.

We need to hand this puppy over to the UN and go home, but not until we pay huge repariations for all the misery and destruction we caused.

I could see where going after the Taliban may have made sense....but weren't most of the hijackers from Arabia, and one from Egypt?

Are there no Evil Doers in the Arab Emirates?

I really feel that if WMDs were acutally found in Iraq, we'd be fighting in Iran by now given the mind set of the present junta in command.


Still have anti war signs in the yard and showing from the house.

Bring them home.

[OneTwentyoNine]

76. Huh??......Alone,outcast, the ONLY person???

Even if you didn't know about this board, the marches against Chimps up and coming invasion were World wide and shown on TV. It would have been damn hard to miss them IMO when millions around the globe spoke out for weeks before Bush sent troops in.

David

[Piperay]

77. I was against it from the start because

I knew it was going to be a big fiasco. I unfortunately supported the war in Afganistan which has also turned into a mess.

[gully]

78. Not I ...

Never supported this war. Never trusted the messenger.

[goddess40]

80. Never supported it /nt

.

[mot78]

81. I opposed the War on the security issue

but I am glad that Saddam was ousted for humanitarian reasons, although what Bush did was basically to clean up for his dad's mistakes. Still, I think Saddam's regime could have collapsed under it's own burden like the Soviet Union did, had we put more pressure on it.


For the record, I unapoligetically supported Afghanistan. While I know many here at DU opposed that war, I don't believe that every form of war should be ruled out. If we're attacked, we have the right to defend ourselves. That said, I'd hardly consider myself a Scoop Jackson/Lieberman Democrat.

I think the reason why so many people opposed Iraq (more so than the usual anti-war contingent that opposed Afghanistan) was because it was a unilateral war, and because it was preemptive to a country that hasn't hurt us first.

[BevHarris]

82. Never supported it. The lies were obvious even beforehand

The only difference now is

a) The lies have been exposed and
b) The media is not spending 24 hours a day marketing it

That's why more people are coming out against it. Too many people wait to see what's "acceptable" before speaking their minds.

Bev Harris

[Selwynn]

83. I was against the war since June 2000

Back then reports of private coversations with Bush made it clear that he had every intention of invading Iraq if elected for reasons that had nothing to do with "security" or "liberation."

I renewed my opposition when Bush named his "axis of evil," and after 9/11 when I felt for sure that the direction things were going to go.

I protested the war this year, wrote letters, particpated in debates with those who supported it, and never stayed silent amidst this horrendous event.

[elperromagico]

84. I opposed it from the time it was "rolled out"

... as a "new product line."

I look at Saddam and see an evil dictator, but I also see a relative moderate in the world of Middle East politics. I fear that by democratizing Iraq, we have made it possible for the Iraqis (in a time of desperation) to elect an extremist government which will give us far more trouble than Hussein ever did.

I worry that we're creating a greater problem for ourselves and future generations by opening up Iraq and enabling any madman who can get a simple plurality to attain power.

[jumptheshadow]

85. No

I felt lonely, too, because the other two managers in my office were 100 percent for it. They festooned the place with patriotic symbols. It was pretty sickening.

Last week my boss, who is a big Republican contributor and Bush fan, looked at some of the soft numbers coming in from Europe and spat out, "It's the damn war!" I would have laughed if it hadn't have been so sad.

[MojoKrunch]

86. Definitely opposed the war.

Still do.
Will always.

Even predicted these sorts of things would happen.

Kinda surprised Afghanistan is the cluster-f*ck it is, however.
Just proves the Bush White House can't actually finish the job.

Mojo

[gate of the sun]

91. many people on here were against the war

aslo many not on here. Where are you from ? we had 7,000 people protesting in Santa Fe about one year ago. It was really wonderful. I wish we had more protests going on now.

[Skittles]

92. F*** NO

I'M NOT A F***ING IDIOT.

[goobergunch]

93. NO. (n/t)

[LTR]

96. Knew all along that Iraq War II was a complete farce

All it is is an ego war to avenge Shrub's father and get in on that oil money for him and his buddies. Total bullshit. And especially unnecessary considering the deficit.

I was in favor of the war in Afghanistan. After the appalling act that happened on Sept. 11, 2001, it had to be done. The Taliban were harboring bin Laden and were very blatant about it. We had no choice. This was justified.

The mistake was in not catching bin Laden (or at least verifying his whereabouts/existance). And also in not helping to rebuild and keep terrorists out. According to Bush's revisionism, Iraq is the real harborer of terrorism, and the ones that attacked our country. Total crock of shit. I find it disgusting that Bush is exploiting the memories of 3000 Americans for this ridiculous vanity project.

I want this asshole out of office, and I will do whatever it takes to do so.

[SammyWinstonJack]

97. That would be a big .................No!

[Loyal]

98. This poster was banned I guess

n/t

[West Coast Democrat]

107. Finally!

The poster seemed suspect to me almost immediately.

[Swede]

99. I was for the war

I was snookered. I heard mushroom clouds,nuclear,radioactive and I said we have to go in and stop this maniac. Nuclear explsions over major cities, I just couldn't see how low Bush would go. I do now.

[devilgrrl]

100. Absolutely NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[hooligan]

101. No, in fact I protested in Los Angeles

It was the first time in my life I had participated in a protest. It was really cool to march down Hollywood Blvd with thousands of other people, and I was happy to be living in a country where we were free to do so. As we marched in LA, millions more were protesting around the world that day. Then I came home to see GWB dismiss those millions of people as a "focus group." Considering how the Iraq war has gone, maybe he should start listening to "focus groups."

[Valerie5555]

102. Definitely not and also

definitely not in November - December - January either.

[BarbaRosa]

103. Nope

I've been against it from the moment became aware that it could happen, and I'm still against it. I recall getting so sick and tired of the pre-war mantra from the right, -We need to get in and get it done, and then we can take care of the needs of this country-

get in and get it done.. right, and to a showering of flower pedals.

At first I thought it was a case of "Gee look daddy, see what I did for you", but the more I learned about the BFEE, pnac, etc. the more sinister I realized all this is.

[in_cog_ni_to]

105. NO! n/t

[Loyal]

106. FOLKS!

This person has been tombstoned lol!

[UnapologeticLiberal]

108. I had mixed feelings

I was mostly against it but there were conditions under which I might have supported it.

Mousepads, Shoe Leather, and Hope

[dolstein]

109. Yes, I supported the war

My primary reason for supporting the war was Hussein's 12 year record of defying UN resolution after UN resolution. I really didn't consider the war preemptive at all, but rather a continuation of the 1991 war. In order to save his regime, Hussein agreed to disarm and to allow inspectors in to verify the disarmament. Yet he repeatedly violated the terms of the cease fire. And given that pattern of defiance, I did not consider it unreasonable to assume the worst about his intentions.

While my preferred approach was to have a new resolution setting a firm deadline for compliance and containing a clear commitment to use force (under the auspices of the UN) to compel compliance in the event that the deadline was not met, I supported unilateral action by the US once it became clear that the French, Germans and Russians would never agree to a firm deadline. All three countries are large creditors of Iraq and have substantial business interests in Iraq. They had their own selfish reasons for not wanting to remove Hussein from power. While I thought that the Bush administration was seeking too early a deadline for compliance (probably in the knowledge that weather conditions would soon preclude any immediate military action), I thought the French, Russians and Germans were equally unreasonable in their outright opposition to any kind of firm deadline.

I still don't think that it was a mistake to remove Hussein from power. But I think the US would have been better off waiting until the situation in Afghanistan had stabilized and a broader international coalition had been assembled. Although I did not think that the policy of containing Iraq could have been sustained indefinitely (the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia was one of the chief reasons why Al Quaeda targeted the US), we certainly could have contained Hussein for another year or two.

[AnnabelLee]

110. Locking

This thread was started by a disruptor who has since been banned.

AnnabelLee
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