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Originally Posted by shakran
I do not for one minute believe that Bush's purported reasons for going into Iraq were honest.
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Fair enough. He's a terrible salesman, I'll grant you that. But look beyond the lousy sales pitch. There was a window of opportunity there that needed to be exploited - however awkwardly it was justified.
Do you not see a need for reform in the Middle East? Are lazy, corrupt monarchies, suppressive dictatorships and religious theocracies really the types of governments able to bring out the best in their people and put their natural resources to good use? Should this part of the world be offered outside assistance in establishing more productive forms of societies, or should the rest of the world continue to play dice with dictators while their countries lay in ruin, and their oil is wasted? Wouldn't strong economic development in the Middle East - and the empowerment it would bring to the average citizen - be the best weapon against hopelessness and despair, against al-Qaeda?