The Real Mistake We Made In Iraq

History will show that we won the war, but lost control in Iraq.  When President Bush declared that we had won in Iraq, he was not lying.  We won the military war!  It was the ensuing civil unrest that we lost in the public eye.  Iraq became a police state and our troops have not been equipped to deal with this.  The problem with Iraq is Iraq.  This country has been at war with itself and its neighbors for over a thousand years.  The Shiites and Sunnis have thus far been unable to put their ancient hatreds aside in order to work together to create a rule-of-law constitutional democracy.  We would not and could not just swoop in and fix this state of affairs.

The United States, under the direction of President Bush, vowed that we would help rebuild this war torn nation.  I am a Republican and support President Bush, but we did not learn from history.  Rather than of the U.S. taxpayers footing the bill, we need a “Marshall Plan” like the one used after World War II.  Here is a case where history did not repeat.  Too bad, we did not learn from our history.

For those that may have forgotten or don’t know what the “Marshall Plan” plan is I will give the short version from “Rise of the American Nation Textbook”.

After World War II, Europe and Japan where devastated.  The United States was asked to help rebuild the nation that was devastated by poverty, disease and hunger stricken war torn nations.  The U.S. pledged its support to help in the rebuilding process.  General George C. Marshall, outlined his plan in an address at Harvard University on June 5, 1947 to the graduating class.  In surveying from the air and ground the ruined economies of Europe, Marshall noted the "possibilities of disturbances arising as a result of the desperation of the people concerned.”  Marshall stated that there could be "no political stability and no assured peace" without economic security, and that U.S. policy was "directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos.”  He called on America to "do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace."

The Marshall Plan, it should be noted, benefited the American economy as well.  The money was used to buy goods from the United States, and they had to be shipped across the Atlantic on American merchant vessels.  The Marshall Plan worked.  By 1953, the United States had pumped in $13 billion, and Europe was standing on its feet again.  Moreover, the Plan included West Germany, which was then reintegrated into the European community.  (The aid was all economic; it did not include military aid until after the Korean War.)

Full Speech

   

As the war began, President Bush and his staff needed to have recognition of the scales of the sectarian problems and the lack of infrastructure.  It wasn’t the war, but the aftermath that will do us in.  The American taxpayers should not have been asked to pay for the rebuilding of Iraq.  The Democrats backed President Bush into a corner by accusing him of going to war for oil.  Therefore, asking the Iraqi government to pay us back in oil for the rebuilding was out of the question.
 
The rising hatred and extremists to the West way of thinking, values and ideas is now in the forefront.  The Middle East is rich in oil and should help in trying to stabilize its own region and not rely on money from the U.S.  The World nations need to put an end to terrorism and bring world peace.  More nations need to standup like the U.S. and be a leader instead of empty talk.  The U.S. can do it allow, but it should not have to.  The U.S. is the last “Super Power” left, however if we keep writing the blank checks for nations attempting to help themselves we will go broke!

Comments

[John Foust]

And so all those who pointed out these historical circumstances and tendencies in Iraq, before we went to war, they were ... right?

Were they unpatriotic? Why didn't elevated levels of patriotism help all the other countries who decided to waltz into Iraq in the past?

[Steve T]

As Capper would say, “Technically” they are right, after the fact and with hindsight.

“Were they unpatriotic?” the next two weekly questions talk about that very thing. Do I think they are YES!

“Why didn't elevated levels of patriotism help all the other countries who decided to waltz into Iraq in the past?” Who says it didn’t? John do you have facts to back up your statement? I would say in the beginning there was a bounce of patriotism for there own people.

[John Foust]

Steve, did you read Randy's post? Or was it like water off a duck?

[Steve T]

Yes I read it and have no idea about your “water off a duck” comment. Care to elaborate?

[grumps]

"After the fact and with hindsight."

What that means, Steve is that they were right and exactly right at that time. You just caught up to those facts now. Their position has not changed with time.

[John Foust]

I think when you put hindsight in reverse, it's called foresight.

[Steve T.]

John and Grumps the position has not changed, those against the war are against the war no matter what the reason. “so all those who pointed out these historical circumstances and tendencies in Iraq, before we went to war, they were ... right?” is not the same as just being against the war.

While you may want to claim, you both were there with those thoughts before the war you talk just like John Kerry, “I was against the war before I was for it!”

We were right to go to war, we have won the war. While Saddam Hussein told everyone including many of the allies believed him that, he had WMD. We still do not know if the weapons made it over to Syria.

You cannot be the Monday morning quarterback that you knew 100% there were not WMD. Just what would have happen if he did? Did and do you want the U.S. troops to fail? If Saddam had chemical weapons, he would have used them on our troops.

Did we need the war with Iraq in 1991 with any provisions?
What is Resolution 1441?
Did Saddam Hussein compile with it?

(Feb. 27). Allied and Iraqi military leaders meet on battlefield to discuss terms for a formal cease-fire to end the Gulf War. Iraq agrees to abide by all of the UN resolutions (Mar. 3). The first Allied prisoners of war are released (Mar. 4). Official cease-fire accepted and signed

Hindsight only provides you with one perspective you’re only viewing the past from the vantage point of the present.

Some of you high and mighty high horse people claimed that the war would end in a pointless quagmire or that it was not a winnable war.

There are no guarantees in war. As with every war, we will know for sure how it ends only after it ends.

So claim you are shamans and sightseers all you want. I am sure the two of you were saying we would lose the war.