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Originally Posted by Ustwo
Was Korea a non-threat?
Vietnam?
Panama?
Cuba?
Mexico?
Libya?
(Just to name a few 'little' wars)
You know since the only war the Democrats approve of is WWII as far as I know, and I'd much rather have these 'little' wars than WWIII thanks.
Non-threat my ass.
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Saddam posed no direct threat to the US or the region. He had no ties to al Q'uida and he was marginalized with no-fly zones, weapons inspectors, arms embargoes, etc. We've been down this road before.
But now we also have more of the pre-war intel that was not shared before....its worth noting several of the conclusions of the portion of the Phase II Senate Intel report on Pre-War Intelligence Assessments about Post War Iraq that was released last May:
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The Intelligence Community assessed prior to the war that the United States' defeat of Iraq probably would result in a surge of political Islam and increased funding for terrorist groups. In January 2003, the Intelligence Community assessed that a US-led defeat of Arab Iraq would probably boost proponents of political Islam and would result in calls from Islamists for the people of the region to unite and build up defenses against the West. Assessments concluded that funds for terrorist groups probably would increase as a result of Muslin outrage over US action. The Intelligence Community also underscored that in some countries an increase in Islamist sentiment also probably would take the form of greater support for Islamist political parties that seek to come to power through legitimate means.
The Intelligence Community assessed prior to the war that Iranian leaders would try to influence the shape of post-Saddam Iraq to preserve Iranian security and demonstrate that Iran is important regional actor.
The Intelligence Community assessed prior to the war that military action to eliminate Iraqi WMD would not cause other regional states to abandon their WMD programs, or their desire to develop such programs.
also:
The Intelligence Community assessed prior to the war that establishing a stable democratic government in post-war Iraq would be a long, difficult and probably turbulent challenge.
http://intelligence.senate.gov/prewar.pdf from Senate Intel Committee
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None of this was shared outside of the Bush inner circle....
....and the Intel conclusions were prophetic
An Iraqi government that is dysfunctional but dominated by the Dawa and SCIRI parties with historical ties to Iran, strengthening Iran's position in internal Iraqi politics as well as their position in the region.
A boost for political Islam and increased funding for terrorist groups around the world.
A surge in anti-American sentiment among the Muslim world (even Moderate Muslims) reaching unprecedented levels
Is the threat to the US not greater as a result of our invasion and continued occupation?
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particularly for Host.....perhaps we will finally see the rest of the Phase II report...how the Bush administration used or misused this intel.
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What About the Senate Intelligence Committee?
So what, you may well ask, ever happened to the Senate Intelligence Committee's promised inquiry into whether the White House intentionally deceived the public in the run-up to war? That, presumably, would provide an accountability moment of sorts.
You may recall that more than two years ago, in November 2005, Democrats were so upset about Republican foot-dragging on the inquiry that they brought the Senate to a halt with a rare closed session to demand that work resume.
The Republicans, not surprisingly, continued to stall anyway. But the Democrats have controlled the Senate for more than a year now. Where is the report?
Wendy Morigi, spokeswoman for Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, told me this morning that it will be out before the end of spring.
Why the delay? Due to the "lack of comity on the committee" when Rockefeller took over the chairmanship, he decided that pushing ahead with the inquiry right away "would again create tension," Morigi said.
Nevertheless, the committee staff has "continued to work" on the report, she said. And a hearing on the matter will be held "within the next few months."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...301758_pf.html
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