FLAIT

Originally Posted: Feb. 2005
Final Revision/Posting: June 2005

We can use all the facts, logic and common sense in the world to prove that the Iraq war was based on lies, totally unnecessary and has turned into a colossal disaster (I know I have). But you'd have better luck trying to convince a door knob of that then mindless and gullible Republicans.

So I thought I'd look at this war in two different ways to further illustrate how wrong it was and to prove - at least from a historical perspective - that the war had no chance of success.

A) Reasons why a country goes to war:

1) An egomaniacal madman just wants to conquer territory.
2) An egomaniacal madman is extremely arrogant and assumes it would be easy.
3) To respond to an egomaniacal madman that attacked your territory.
4) To respond to an egomaniacal madman that attacked your allies territory.
5) To respond to an egomaniacal madman that attacked your vital interests.
6) To kick out the army of an egomaniacal madman that invaded your territory.
7) To kick out the army of an egomaniacal madman that invaded your allies territory.
8) To kick out the army of an egomaniacal madman that invaded a country of a quasi allie that maintains a vital strategic interest.

The ones that apply to Iraq are No's 1, 3, and 6...unfortunately, they're from the Sunni, Baathist and Republican Guard perspectives. From our perspective only No. 2 apply's.

B) "Learn from history, or you'll be doomed to repeat it":

1) In world history, has there been a country that invaded another and it worked out well?
2) In world history, has there been a country that invaded another, in an extremely volatile part of the world, and it worked out well?
3) In world history, has there been a country that invaded another, in an extremely volatile part of the world, where the invading country was already disliked, and it worked out well?
4) In world history, has there been a country that started a "preemptive" war to strike an "imminent threat"?
(Yes, Israel in 1967. But Egypt, Syria and Jordan - their next door neighbors! - were about to attack/invade them, literally within hours, so that was completely different then Iraq. Name another.)
5) In world history, has there been a country that started a "preemptive" war without an "imminent threat"?
(Yes, many times. Refer to A1 and A2 above. And how well did they work out?)
6) In world history, has there been a country that started a "preemptive" war without an "imminent threat" so it made it up. (Yes, Vietnam. And how well did that work out?)
7) In world history, has there been an "occupation" that worked out well?
8) In world history, has there been an "occupation" in an extremely volatile part of the world, and it worked out well?
9) In world history, has there been an "occupation" in an extremely volatile part of the world, where the "occupier" was already disliked, and it worked out well?
10) In Mid-East history, has an Arab country allowed an invading army to install true democracy and real freedom?
11) In Mid-East history, has there been an Arab country that was both free and stable?
12) In Mid-East history, besides President Mubarak of Egypt and Kings Hussein and Abdullah of Jordan, how many "sensible" Arab leaders have there been?
13) In Mid-East history, how many secular Arab governments have there been?
14) In Mid-East history has there been an Arab leader that stood up to the radical Islamic fundamentalists?
15) In Mid-East history, has there been an Arab leader that defended the rule of law and minority rights?
16) In American history, has a President started a war even though we weren't attacked or provoked?
(Yes, Korea and Vietnam, and how well did they turn out? And "The Gulf of Tonkin" incident was exaggerated, if it happened at all. Sound familiar?)
17) In American history, has a President started a war even though a vital national interest wasn't attacked or provoked?
18) In American history, has a President started a war even though an allie wasn't attacked or provoked?
19) In American history, have our soldiers ever fought and died to "liberate" a country and its people we didn't give a damn about?
(Yes, Kuwait. But refer to A8 above. And name another.)
20) In American history, were taxes ever cut during war time?

And what could be the most important history lesson of all:

21) How well did the British occupation of Iraq go after they took Baghdad in 1917 (the answers are here and here)?

You might be able to come up with a handful of partial answers to some of these questions, especially hundreds, even thousands of years ago (of course Republicans will stretch things by including any military action such as air strikes, "peace keepers" etc). But this is about STARTING A WAR in today's world, and all the risks, costs and consequences that come with it. So my point is made.

And yet, we have a brainless, arrogant, incompetent, immature President - who doesn't have the intellect to string two coherent sentences together - that not only ignored over 200 years of American history, but is trying to buck an incredible amount of world and Mid-East history.

My money's on history.