As far as or invasion of Iraq. People have very short memories. We had a cease fire agreement with Iraq following the first Gulf War. An agreement that Hussein continued to violate. In our attempt to enforce the no fly zones (to keep him from killing the Kurds which he has done before) Iraq shot at our planes almost daily. Even one such attack is considered an act of war. Hussein continuously violated the UN resolutions, sixteen of them. We kept drawing lines in the sand and Hussein continued to ignore them. Bush stood before the UN Security Council and stated that if the UN did not enforce the security council resolutions then the U.S. would. A final resolution, Resolution 1441, as a last opportunity to comply with the disarmament agreement and the various terms of the cease fire agreement the Security Council passed this Resolution with a unanimous vote, 15-0, including Russia and Syria. This Resolution had wider support than the Resolution passed authorizing the first Gulf War which was unique in it's vast world wide support.
When Saddam Hussein called our bluff and ignored Resolution 1441 he signed his death warrant. His dealings with Clinton convinced him that America was weak. After all, he was able to ignore all the warnings and Resolutions throughout the Clinton administration without consequences. But Bush was no Clinton.
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OMR,
I also want to address the Iraqi WMD issue as a separate topic because, again, people have short or selective memories.
It is true that we did not know as a matter of fact that Iraq was at the time in possession of WMDs. We would have to had invaded their country to determine that because he kicked out the inspectors. So why did we think he did?
Well, we know for a fact that Iraq had in the past possessed WMDs because he used them -- against his own people, the Kurds and against the Iranians.
We knew he had ambitions to develop nuclear weapons and build a nuclear reactor because he built one, with the help of the French, which was destroyed by the Israelis in 1981. The Osirak
reactor. Predictably, Israel was condemned for this act as they will be when they destroy Iran's nuclear reactor if they should get one. Hussein also was very clear about ruling the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, and controlling the entire regions oil supply. He had a huge incentive to develop, and be willing to use, WMDs.
In addition to the U.S., ALL the major intelligence agencies: Britain, Germany, Russia, China, Israel, and France, believe that Hussein had, has, or was developing WMDs. Bill and Hillary Clinton at the time believed that Hussein had WMDs in addition to Kerry, Pelosi, Daschle, Gore, Kennedy, Rockefeller... indeed 77 of the Senators at the time. Very few remember that Hans Blix, who headed the inspection team, discovered chemical rocket warheads in a bunker in Baghdad. Something that was big news at the time. The inspectors were subsequently expelled from Iraq by Hussein.
So let me ask you, and be honest, did you believe at the time that Hussein had and/or actively developing WMDs? If not, what did you know at the time that ALL the intelligence agencies as well as the majority of the Senate and Congress did not know and how did you know it?
Violation of every single UN Security Resolutions, possession and use of WMDs in the past, developing a nuclear reactor, invading and attacking his neighbors, open designs for a "Greater Iraq" and controlling the Middle East oil supply, kicking out the inspectors. And we were suppose to have just taken his word.
To avoid war all Hussein would have had to do is exactly what Libya did after we invaded Iraq and Gaddafi saw the writing on the wall. He opened his country to inspections. We gave Hussein a lot of warnings. Endless warnings and lines in the sand. Don't you remember how long it dragged on? How we stood there endlessly with our ships and troops parked and ready to go?
He called our bluff.
And we had "no business" invading Iraq?
You can still disagree with our invasion of Iraq, and in retrospect you may be right, but to say that we had no compelling reasons or no business or that Bush lied is just simply not true.
