Friday, August 27, 2004

Iraq in retrospect

CNN.com - Retiring GOP congressman breaks ranks on Iraq - Aug 18, 2004


When Doug Bereuter, R-NE, submitted a 4-page statement about why in retrospect and after much consideration, he feels the military action in Iraq was a mistake, some make accusations that the retiring vice-chair of the House Select Committee on Intelligence from Nebraska is just bitter and spiteful for "having been passed over ... to head the intelligence and international relations committees." But others disagree: "Doug has been exceptionally self-sacrificing, not noisy (or) abrasive, and certainly not self-serving. His focus has been on serving the best interest of the country and his district, and not on self-promotion."

Kerry won't say he regrets his vote authorizing Bush to invade Iraq, but Bereuter says given what he knows now, he would have voted differently. He also felt it was still inconclusive as to "whether intelligence was intentionally miscontrued to justify military action."

Whether or not you believe the war was justified, here are some ways we could've really supported our troops 100%:
  • If we didn't disband the Iraqi Army we wouldn't be fighting so many of them as insurgents (and losing men doing so).
  • It was also wrong to place reconstruction and the interim governement in the hands of the DoD rather than the State Department (not sure why he says this, but maybe because the State Department would've done a better job and looked better doing it).
  • We could have not "ignored military leaders who warned many more troops would be needed in Iraq to maintain the postwar peace." (Franks himself said he was expecting 150,000 international peacekeapers. I wonder if Bush knew that when he asked the UN inspectors to get out and declared his 48-hour deadline.)

  • So, Bush might have declared the WoT, but he's certainly not doing a mighty fine job of it.

    SOURCE: The Online Beat and CNN
    First posted in my Xanga

    5 comments:

    phil said...

    I agree with you...there have been a lot of missteps on the issue of Iraq. In retrospect, We should have never gone in (I was very apprehensive at the onset). But more importantly - what exactly would Kerry have done differently? What will Kerry do now? I fear he's offered us no substantive alternative. He will have to if he wants my vote.

    Pat in NC said...

    In a letter to a friend a soldier wrote:Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war. Like all wars, this one will have its ups and downs. But we must fight. We must."

    And that's why I'm here in Iraq, and why I believe we need to be over here - because what has happened in Chechnya, could very well happen in the United States if we sat back and "hunkered down" praying that the terrorists won't hit us again.

    And I would rather fight terrorists over here than allow them to take my beautiful girls hostage on their first day of school.

    Still in the battle with you,

    Pat in NC said...

    Please view Kerry's view on the war.

    http://www.kerryoniraq.com/

    Will said...

    Kerry has offered an alternative in attitude—one that doesn't assume the utmost arrogance of infallibility. A lack of a fool proof plan doesn't leave no other reason to vote for Kerry....

    Will said...

    As for www.kerryoniraq.com, Michael Moore would be put to shame by the RNC's skill at leaving out crucial context.

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