[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Master Belisarius:
I can't accept that the current "collateral damage" was needed to fix the previous "collateral damage".

No, no amount of Iraqi deaths in this war will bring back the Iraqi, Iranian and Kuwati dead from the past actions. Even the death of Sadam himself, though likely would be viewed as justified and neccesary by the majority of reasonable people in the world will do nothing to undo the actions which he has done. And it will not lessen the responsibility of the American government that tolerated and in many cases assisted in his murderous doings. That is something we as a people will have to face up to if we are to be honest withourselves and others.

As far as GW1 goes I believe now and believed then, as many other Americans do, that we made a huge mistake not completeing the job at the time. I dis not believe that Iraq was the lesser of two evils as Bush senior apparently did. Right or wrong our policy at the time was more about making sure the coalition members, primarily the Saudi's, were happy. They would not allow any consideration of taking out the regime.

At the very least we should have encouraged and protected the revolting Kurds and Sh'ites in the months following the war. Our failure to do so was unconsionable, and something that we are feeling repurcusions from yet in this war.

None of this detracts from our justification for taking action. This main gola of this war wasn't to liberate the Iraqi people and save them from the regime. That was merely a very pleasant side effect. If anything our poor record in the past made it mroe our responsibility to clean up the mess we made.

Geoschmo