Memories of a free Iraq

[vraiblonde]

This was a great read - I should have been a Chip & Dale Rescue Ranger because this stuff gets me.

http://www.thenewrepublic.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030210&s=alsuwaij021003

In February 1991, I was living with my grandparents in Karbala, a city of roughly 350,000 an hour southwest of Baghdad. The Gulf war was raging, and my family and I often listened to Voice of America for news free of Iraqi-government control. We heard President George H.W. Bush repeatedly assure us that if the Iraqi people rose up against Saddam, the United States stood ready to help them. "There's another way for the bloodshed to stop," Bush had said, "and that is for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside." I was excited by Bush's words, but, after two decades of living under the brutal rule of Saddam's Baath Party, it was impossible for me to imagine we would ever be liberated. Even though millions of Iraqis dreamed of overthrowing Saddam, we were afraid to speak about it and doubted anyone would ever come to help us. I felt the world had abandoned us.

This stuff makes me so sad and that's why I get pissed when people like Smc and others talk about "peace" - while they were protesting and chanting, there were people in another country that were waiting for us, the Liberators...and we never came.

 

[Frank]

No, vrai give them a chance, they'll condemn the U.S. for THAT, too!

 

[demsformd]

The fault for not overthrowing Hussein is not a partisan or ideological thing. It was the elder President Bush that decided to pursue the policy of containment in Iraq and he did nothing to liberate Iraq after Hussein was forced from Kuwait. Clinton decided against liberating the nation too. It was all talk from both of those administrations on this matter and hopefully this President Bush has decided to finally remove Hussein from power. I fear, however, that in the end Bush will decide to leave Hussein in power once again. Maybe if President Bush had committed our troops to finish the job or if President Clinton decided to address the issue, Hussein would not be in power.

 

[Ken King]

Demsformd,

Again, you are slightly off base fellow. The US was cooperating with the UN and was obligated to NOT continue on against Iraq after pushing them back into their own land. Hussein’s removal has always been the preferred option for the USA but “Bush the Elder” was never authorized by the UN or Congress to get the job done. Containment was what the world wanted and we now know it is not working.

 

[MGKrebs]

We know it's not working because Powell SAID it's not working. And he had the 12 year old "intel" to prove it!

 

[Kyle]

Originally posted by bluto
...and when 3,000 more American civilians are filling body bags, Muslims world-wide will be dancing in their filthy streets like Hitler doing his victory jig while here in America liberals whine about why the Bush administration did nothing. *yawn*

Yeah! that's the song and dance we're all familiar with...

 

[Ken King]

Originally posted by MGKrebs
We know it's not working because Powell SAID it's not working. And he had the 12 year old "intel" to prove it!

Maynard,

Are all people in Georgia as empty minded as you or is it just your liberal brethren?

 

[Bruzilla]

I gotta go with Dems on this one. Granted that the US did not have a UN sanction to do anything but get the Iraqis out of Kuwait, but I never heard that mentioned as a consideration in not taking out Hussein. Also, remember that the US initially supported the Iraqis overthrowing Hussein, which was outside of the UN effort, and then withdrew their support.

I think the issue back then was there were too many hogs lining up at the trough to feed on a leaderless Iraq and the US was worried about civil and external wars breaking out if Hussein was gone, and that would mean the US would need to occupy the country, which Bush was not prepared to do.

Unfortunately Dems, this is where your party fellows come into play. If Bush had gone further into Iraq he would have been attacked by the Dems for exceeding the UN mandate... a fact I'm sure played a part in Bush's decision. Not throwing stones at the Dems here, just pointing out a political fact of life in the US of A.

 

[MGKrebs]

Originally posted by bluto
...and when 3,000 more American civilians are filling body bags, Muslims world-wide will be dancing in their filthy streets like Hitler doing his victory jig while here in America liberals whine about why the Bush administration did nothing. *yawn*

Hey, I'm not the one who chose to send 20% of the Coast guard to the other side of the planet.

 

[MGKrebs]

Uh, I don't think those Coast Guard guys are looking for Osama.

Besides, if the CG is projecting forward power, who the hell is GUARDING THE COAST? Ya' know, just in case.

 

[MGKrebs]

I take it that you are not one of those who are stocking up on duct tape and plastic sheeting.