dh_epic
Cold War Veteran
With 60% of Americans saying that things that are going poorly in Iraq, people are questioning whether the Iraq War has made America (and the world) safer.
Some of you might still be holding the line on Iraq, believing that we're making progress, and that we're close to realizing our goal of a stable democracy there. And once we get there, America and the world will be safer than in 2002. Some of you may even believe that we're already safer now that Saddam is out of power, and even the "sectarian violence" there now is better than what would have happened had he remained in power.
Others count yourself among the majority, who might believe that Iraq has caused us to take our eye off the ball for more pertinant security threats. Some may even believe that Iraq has led us to inflame the situation, empowering Iran, bolstering terrorist recruitment, and creating more antipathy towards the US and even Israel.
Either way... assume that it was 2003, there was just a War in Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban, who was responsible for the attacks on 9/11. The world still largely supports you for your actions after 9/11, but other political figures around the world are concerned about growing the rhetoric that Iraq is the next front in the war on terror, and disagree that a war in Iraq will make the world safer.
The American people are much more supportive, with only 25% worried that the War in Iraq is a bad idea. The media and congress will support whatever your plan is to make the world safer, so long as it has SOME kind of evidence and logic to back it up. You have 300 billion dollars to execute your plan.
Assume we know what we know about WMDs today, but that there's still those that argue that Saddam should be out of power for the sake of international security.
Assume you have America's best interest ahead of your own personal/political gain.
Do you spend it in Iraq?
Or do you do something else? If so, what?
Some of you might still be holding the line on Iraq, believing that we're making progress, and that we're close to realizing our goal of a stable democracy there. And once we get there, America and the world will be safer than in 2002. Some of you may even believe that we're already safer now that Saddam is out of power, and even the "sectarian violence" there now is better than what would have happened had he remained in power.
Others count yourself among the majority, who might believe that Iraq has caused us to take our eye off the ball for more pertinant security threats. Some may even believe that Iraq has led us to inflame the situation, empowering Iran, bolstering terrorist recruitment, and creating more antipathy towards the US and even Israel.
Either way... assume that it was 2003, there was just a War in Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban, who was responsible for the attacks on 9/11. The world still largely supports you for your actions after 9/11, but other political figures around the world are concerned about growing the rhetoric that Iraq is the next front in the war on terror, and disagree that a war in Iraq will make the world safer.
The American people are much more supportive, with only 25% worried that the War in Iraq is a bad idea. The media and congress will support whatever your plan is to make the world safer, so long as it has SOME kind of evidence and logic to back it up. You have 300 billion dollars to execute your plan.
Assume we know what we know about WMDs today, but that there's still those that argue that Saddam should be out of power for the sake of international security.
Assume you have America's best interest ahead of your own personal/political gain.
Do you spend it in Iraq?
Or do you do something else? If so, what?
