A personal need to vent again...
I know that what I'm going to say will be categorized as a liberal or Democratic position -- but I see it as simply reasonable.
I opposed the War on Iraq for several reasons. First, the connection between Iraq and the 9/11 terrorists was virtually non-existant, despite the comments of Cheney and others. Remember how many believed Saddam was involved? It was a misconception our government encouraged. Second, weapon inspectors were begging for more time (time we could have used on the diplomatic front - not with Iraq, but with the world), but we could'nt wait a few more months. Third, I didn't believe even then that we were being told the genuine rationale for the war - we were being fed patriotic rah-rahs, words such as terrorists and WMD. Fourth, I did'nt feel in my gut that Bush and his crew were up to the task.
None of this is new to anyone reasonably political aware at the time, and I know that some people of good faith disagree. That's fine - honest debate is good, but I don't believe the administration was being honest with the American people. As it turns out, intelligence was not well analyzed by the administration, and yes, I do believe Cheney etc. cherry picked intelligence to support a war he wanted long before 9/11.
I know the arguments against this position, but remember this-Iraq was well contained at the time. Two-thirds of the country was a no-fly zone, our satellite and aerial surveillance was focused on the country, and we had uncontested air superiority. If war really was necessary, we had the luxury of picking the right moment. Instead, we did what we did, and we are paying the consequences.
We now have a president who claims the war authorization gives him carte blanche to dispense with legal safeguards to OUR privacy and liberty. Since in the deepest sense, war on terror can be indefinite, these actions are particularly scary and Orwellian. We use technicalities to dispense with Geneva Convention rules and have tortured prisoners, many of whom are prisoners on the flimsiest pretenses. We have betrayed the very values we proclaim around the world. And I firmly believe the actions of our president have decreased our security. It isn't radical to suggest there were more effective approaches to combat world terrorism.
And now what do we do? Our options are limited. If we withdraw from Iraq, anarchy ensues, and an increasingly beligerent Iran becomes the major power player in the region. So we do what we can to bolster the government hoping that it can handle its own security, a hope that increasingly appears to be a lost cause. We, the world's largest superpower, can't control security in the country, but we say the new government will, eventually, be able to. As an American, I hope to they can.
Who really understands the complexities of war? Most Americans don't, including Bush and his crew. Remember all the talk about our being welcomed as liberators or that Iraqi oil would pay our costs? Mission accomplished, indeed.
By the way, I also blame the Democrats for this - for not standing up and protesting more forcibly. I am deeply ashamed of both political parties and I am saddened by the apparant vast ignorance of the American people. I do believe we were lied to, but that is no excuse. As citizens it is our responsibility to inform ourselves - the information was available if we were willing to turn off our DVD players and I-Pods and fulfill our duty as citizens. I am not saying that reasonable people could not disagree, but I am saying we could have had a much better debate in this country before entering into something as momentous as war.
Our leaders HAVE failed us. Colin Powel had the opportunity to speak out before this, but he chose to toe the line, and the man I once considered worthy of a vote for president missed a chance for genuine greatness. But more to the point, I believe the American people failed themselves. We have betrayed our values, and made the world a more dangerous place, and limited our options for dealing with genuine threats.
I know that what I'm going to say will be categorized as a liberal or Democratic position -- but I see it as simply reasonable.
I opposed the War on Iraq for several reasons. First, the connection between Iraq and the 9/11 terrorists was virtually non-existant, despite the comments of Cheney and others. Remember how many believed Saddam was involved? It was a misconception our government encouraged. Second, weapon inspectors were begging for more time (time we could have used on the diplomatic front - not with Iraq, but with the world), but we could'nt wait a few more months. Third, I didn't believe even then that we were being told the genuine rationale for the war - we were being fed patriotic rah-rahs, words such as terrorists and WMD. Fourth, I did'nt feel in my gut that Bush and his crew were up to the task.
None of this is new to anyone reasonably political aware at the time, and I know that some people of good faith disagree. That's fine - honest debate is good, but I don't believe the administration was being honest with the American people. As it turns out, intelligence was not well analyzed by the administration, and yes, I do believe Cheney etc. cherry picked intelligence to support a war he wanted long before 9/11.
I know the arguments against this position, but remember this-Iraq was well contained at the time. Two-thirds of the country was a no-fly zone, our satellite and aerial surveillance was focused on the country, and we had uncontested air superiority. If war really was necessary, we had the luxury of picking the right moment. Instead, we did what we did, and we are paying the consequences.
We now have a president who claims the war authorization gives him carte blanche to dispense with legal safeguards to OUR privacy and liberty. Since in the deepest sense, war on terror can be indefinite, these actions are particularly scary and Orwellian. We use technicalities to dispense with Geneva Convention rules and have tortured prisoners, many of whom are prisoners on the flimsiest pretenses. We have betrayed the very values we proclaim around the world. And I firmly believe the actions of our president have decreased our security. It isn't radical to suggest there were more effective approaches to combat world terrorism.
And now what do we do? Our options are limited. If we withdraw from Iraq, anarchy ensues, and an increasingly beligerent Iran becomes the major power player in the region. So we do what we can to bolster the government hoping that it can handle its own security, a hope that increasingly appears to be a lost cause. We, the world's largest superpower, can't control security in the country, but we say the new government will, eventually, be able to. As an American, I hope to they can.
Who really understands the complexities of war? Most Americans don't, including Bush and his crew. Remember all the talk about our being welcomed as liberators or that Iraqi oil would pay our costs? Mission accomplished, indeed.
By the way, I also blame the Democrats for this - for not standing up and protesting more forcibly. I am deeply ashamed of both political parties and I am saddened by the apparant vast ignorance of the American people. I do believe we were lied to, but that is no excuse. As citizens it is our responsibility to inform ourselves - the information was available if we were willing to turn off our DVD players and I-Pods and fulfill our duty as citizens. I am not saying that reasonable people could not disagree, but I am saying we could have had a much better debate in this country before entering into something as momentous as war.
Our leaders HAVE failed us. Colin Powel had the opportunity to speak out before this, but he chose to toe the line, and the man I once considered worthy of a vote for president missed a chance for genuine greatness. But more to the point, I believe the American people failed themselves. We have betrayed our values, and made the world a more dangerous place, and limited our options for dealing with genuine threats.

