The Case for Iraq

I do not believe President Bush has made an effective case for the Iraq war to the American public. If he had, I don't think that the war would be as unpopular as it is today. Some people do not see the implications of an American loss or they want America to be defeated. I will try to make my own case for the war in Iraq. President Bush had made some early errors with the war. Instead of the "weapons of mass destruction" (WMDs) argument, he should have stuck with the 17 U.N. violations, connections to terrorism, and a brutal dictator. We knew he had WMDs because he had used them in the past but the risk of not finding any would be greater then the strength of the argument. This is what gave the anti-war activists fuel for their accusations of "lies and exaggerations" by the Bush administration. We knew he was in violation of the U.N. agreements and we could prove both the supporting of terror and a brutal dictator. Bush's use of the WMD argument to go to war not only proved incorrect but also damaged the entire war effort and public sentiment.

The 17 U.N. resolutions that Saddam Hussein was in violation of can be read @ http://www.state.gov/p/io/rls/fs/2003/18850.htm

The next topic people have a real problem with and I don't know why. I have heard people say that Saddam Hussein had no ties to terrorism but that is simply not true. He had ties to terrorism. Maybe not strong ties with Al-Qaeda but certainly ties. The Weekly Standard had a great article on terror training camps in Iraq in the years leading up to the war @ http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/550kmbzd.asp

Saddam Hussein has also gave out millions of dollars to Palestinian families of suicide bombers. In a region in the world where there is high unemployment and poverty is normal, a $10,000 check can make all the difference and can certainly be motivation for more bombings. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein sponsored terror, see CBS News @ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/14/world/main543981.shtml

According to ABC News, over 10 million dollars had been given out and each family received $25,000 for a suicide bombing and $10,000 for a death caused by the nation of Israel. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=129914&page=1

Audio tapes from meetings with Hussein and other government and military leaders in the mid-1990s show that Hussein was intentionally hiding their efforts of WMDs from the U.N. see ABC News @ http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Investigation/story?id=1616996

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi was one of the links that the Bush Administration used to justify the war in Iraq. There were reports that Al-Zarqawi received medical treatment in Baghdad for his leg that was wounded in Afghanistan during the U.S. led attack on the Taliban. The first story was that his leg was amputated but later officials backtracked and stated his leg was just wounded. Al-Zarqawi had a long history of terrorism dating back to 1989 when he entered Afghanistan to help fight off the Soviets. Al-Zarqawi is a link to Iraq and terrorism. It is no coincidence that after receiving medical treatment in Baghdad before the Iraq war, he became the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq after the war started. For a history and biography of Al-Zarqawi see: http://www.answers.com/topic/abu-mussab-al-zarqawi

It goes without saying that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator. He used chemical weapons on his own people, killed political enemies or anyone he wanted to get rid off or who was in subordination. He implemented rape and torture rooms and built and filled mass graves. His gassing of the Kurds in just one day killed 5,000. That is almost twice as many that died on September 11th, 2001. The difference is that the attacks on September 11th for done by a groups of terrorists while the gassing of the Kurds was done by a nation. The Washington Post had an article on the gassing of the Kurds, please see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/29/AR2005042901191.html

This brings up the next major topic: What if we lose?
This is the worst case scenario, second only to nuclear devices being detonated inside the United States. A loss will embolden the enemy and will only strengthen themselves in bodies and money. The group was formed after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. For a more detailed history see the Council on Foreign Relations @ http://www.cfr.org/publication/9126/ The terrorist group was strengthened after they drove the Soviets out. If a group of rag-tag thugs can defeat the Soviets, they believe they can defeat anyone. If they are successful in making the United States withdraw with its tail between our legs, they will do something that no one had done in the history of the World has done: defeat two major superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States.

We can not let this happen. I think that the War in Iraq is justified. Even if you do not feel that the war is justified, Saddam Hussein was an evil man who supported terror, killed his own people, and was in violation of 17 U.N. resolutions. A timetable or withdraw would be a mistake. If history teaches us anything, we most stomp them. Please do not support a timetable or withdraw from Iraq, we can not let them defeat us. Our country and way of life is on the line.