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Originally posted by yatzr
i don't remember saying anything about iraq. I know that everyone considers the war on terror and the war on iraq to be the same, but I don't. To me the war on iraq and against saddam is a different thing. I know they didn't have much if anything to do with 9/11. I know it's bush's own agenda. I don't even really consider it part of the "war on terrorism". But when you say the entire war on terrorism has been a failure and only making things worse, all you're doing is forgetting about afghanistan. If you want to say that that was a failure too, then I think you are one of those eager to see the US fail.
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When the US invaded Afghanistan, there was no great debate or crying foul from mainstream leftists. sure, anti-war groups were opposed, but that is there mission. To paraphrase David Cross, Ralph Nader would have invaded Afghanistan after 9-11. It is the war in Iraq and it's tenuous connection with terror that has inflamed the ire of many on the left (and some on the right). Although you may not consider the "war on terror" as connected with the war in Iraq, that is not the popular conception, nor the way that our leaders have described this war. Some quotes:
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"The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11, 2001 -- and still goes on." Source: President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended, White House (5/1/2003).
"The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. " Source: President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended, White House (5/1/2003).
"And the United States, along with a growing coalition of nations, is resolved to take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves and disarm the Iraqi regime. September the 11th, 2001, the American people saw what terrorists could do by turning four airplanes into weapons. We will not wait to see what terrorists or terrorist states could do with chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons." Source: President Bush: "World Can Rise to This Moment", White House (2/6/2003).
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So, with that in mind, you may understand why I (and most people with a memory) consider Iraq as part of Bush's "War on Terrorism." I have not forgotten Afghanistan...if anything, I beleive that we should pay more attention to it rather than squandering our military strength and global political capital on a war that people like Paul Wolfowitz have been itching to fight for a decade.
I never said that the "entire war on terrorism is a failure." I argue against the shakey rationale that led to the invasion of Iraq under the rubric of the "war on terror." Do you consider misleading the public to justify invasion of a foreign nation a serious offense? I remember how Republican's cried out "wag the dog" when Clinton let loose a few Tomahawks on Afghanistan...where's the outrage now?