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Finishing the job in Afghanistan is important, critical even, but there is no necessity to cease any other actions which need to be taken in other realms.
I would argue that there is also no necessity to begin any other actions which *don't* need to be taken... f'rinstance, Iraq. Virtually all of the Administrations "justifications" for attacking that country have been outed as bogus. So why did we really go?
There were stipulations to the cessation of military action on Iraq at in 1991. They were ignored by Saddam as was evident by the continuing UN resolutions amassed against him.
At the time of the invasion, UN weapons inspectors stated that he was complying with them. Gotta remember, we ordered 'em out (both in '98 and '03), not Saddam.
Each gave the UN the ability to take action, and limited action was taken from time to time, but insufficient to cause a cessation/compliance.
But none gave the US the ability to take action unilaterally. You've heard it before, undoubtedly, but basically we ignored the UN and attacked Iraq for ignoring the UN. It just makes no sense.
While there is no solid line of connectivity directly to 9/11, there are sufficient acts, going back European bombings, cruise ship killings, and the like where perpetrators and planners migrated to Iraq to show that it was a magnet and home for terrorists.
It has been shown, by our own Gov't, in fact, that the majority of turr'ists who were in Iraq prior to the invasion, were holed up in Kurdish territory... where, primarily due to the NFZ, Saddam had no reach.
Further, if you are willing to equate a cockroach analogy here...you kill roaches where they are and where they hide.
OK, so why Iraq, and not Saudi Arabia, or any of a dozen other countries who *we know* to be harboring turr'ists? The "cockroaches" weren't there prior to the invasion. I would suggest that yours is a bad analogy, unless you add that you need leave food out on your kitchen floor in hopes of luring in some roaches from all over the neighborhood, having them breed like crazy, and then calling Tom DeLay to come in and squirt a few.
Perhaps we should look at real spending freezes where previous increases have shown no resulting improvements, or actual cuts in funding (vice reductions in projected increases - but increases none the less) in areas which have displayed lack of accountability.
Couldn't agree more. Of course, the first place to look at cuts would be the DOD. I don't believe they've accounted for Bremer's missing $9BB yet, nor have they apparently sorted out all the (apparently ongoing) Halliburton profiteering.
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