my take on Iraq - timeline style

[Buster T]

September 11, 2001
Hijackers crash two airliners into the World Trade Center in New York. A third strikes the Pentagon, and a fourth crashes in a field in rural Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 people are killed in the terror attacks.

September 14, 2001
Congress authorizes [PDF; requires free Adobe Reader] President George W. Bush to use "all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."

September 20, 2001
President Bush announces the new cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security, to be led by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. Ridge later becomes secretary of a new Homeland Security Department.

In an address to a joint session of Congress, President Bush declares, "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime."

October 5, 2001
One thousand soldiers from the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division are sent to the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan.

October 7, 2001
The U.S. begins bombing Afghanistan. In a televised address, President Bush tells the nation: "On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations, and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime."

January 29, 2002
In his State of the Union address, President Bush describes an "axis of evil" between Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Osama bin Laden is not mentioned in the speech.

March 20, 2003
90 minutes after the 48-hour deadline expires, at 5:30 am local time, explosions are heard in Baghdad. President Bush announces that he has ordered the coalition to launch an "attack of opportunity" against specified targets in Iraq.

Troops from the United States, Britain, Australia, and Poland invade Iraq. Bush sends a letter to Congress, saying that he has determined that further diplomacy will not protect the U.S., and that the U.S. is "continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."


http://www.pbs.org/flashpointsusa/20040629/infocus/topic_01/timeline_sep2001.html


Okay, thats in a nutshell. There are pages to be read on Post-9/11 Timeline

Whats my point ? Look initially how the US reacted. We studied the terrorist activity and isolated Afghanistan areas as strongholds. True to what GW said, we bombed those areas and attacked. We basically told Afghanistan to step back, and allow us to do what we were going to do, with or without their permisson.

I agree with that move. Strong leadership, decisive, smart moves that we warned were coming. Sharp attacks, killing basically those we wanted to kill.

But then ........ something went wrong. We shifted the focus to Iraq. At the time, okay, fine, terrorists there too, but why in retrospect not do the same thing with Iraq that we did with Afghanistan ?

No, we insisted upon Saddam leaving, he didn't, we attacked with intent to overthrow their govt. We did just that. I believe Saddam living was a HUGE error on our part, we never expected he'd survive.

Anyway, Iran and North Korea, that GW fingered along with Iraq ......... what have we done with them ?

Nothing, thats what.

Now, here we are, weeks away from 4 YEARS in Iraq and its an unstable mess of a country, costing the US taxpayers trillions, along with invaluable lives.

Is the result worth the cost ?

I don't think it is now. Had we surgically dismembered the terrorism in Iraq kinda like we showed we could do in Afghanistan ........ in retrospect would that NOT have been better ?

INstead we set the wheels in motion, Saddam lived, was captured, thus a world trial leading to his execution, we have Venezuela calling us the Devil Led Gringo's of Death and a disaster in Iraq that is looming as the worst thing we've EVER done as a country. The world hates us, and we hate ourselves I think for whats happened over there.

I understand seeding Democracy, I understand snuffing out terrorists, I understand the global world we live in and I understand taking the fight to them

Thats not what happened in Iraq.

I'm sorry, it isn't.

Whats happened there is either so simply as son getting revenge for Daddy, GW being too proud to admit he's wrong, or its something incredibly complex thats beyond my comprehension.

Either way, brace yourselves for 2 more years of Americans being killed, 2 more years of unbelievable spending at the cost of our childrens future, and 2 more years of us being more and more divided as a country.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Buster T]

Sorry Buster,, But since you criticize some of Bush's war decisions, according to the necons you hate our troops and America.

If you don't support the president's decisions, you don't support the troops. He's the decider.

Unquestioned loyalty to the end, no matter the reality on the ground.

I suppose some would say that, yes.

These are those people ........

Not at all stealth. Its just alot of us here see reality.The bleeding hearts on here are always going to be just that. I mean we are there in the war, nothing we do or say here is going to change that. The US public made a decision, nothing said on here is goin to change that. This is bush's last term. Nothing on here is going to change that. So we are there, we made a commitment, lets make the best out of it, and take what we can from it. Instead of looking backwards constantly whining about things that cannot be changed, look forward and quit worrying that you don't like the president.

Thats reality. Looking back all the time, trying to catch a president up in something changes absolutely nothing.

Lets make the best of a badsituation, and move on. Thats reality.

[burniegoeasily]

My oppinion;

We started kicking ares in Afghanistan. In the mean time, we (all of us )were out for blood and work up into a frenzy. Much like the Bear Zerckers during the Viking invasions. Sadam had been told to get rid of weapons he himself believed he had. He didn't. He even went as far as to act blazoned about his defiance of the U.N.. We, as a collective thought, lets kick butt. Once reality set in,we are now questioning what it was about. As I remember, Bush can not declare war all by himself. He sold it, yea, but it had to be voted for. I do not believe we were lied too. Its crazy to think that other countries would have joined in if we were simply lieing. They have their own intelligence, they do not need to depend on ours. After we found out that Sadam did not have the weapons everyone, as well as he, insisted he had, we want to point fingers. Mind you, the handling of the war can be faulted to Bush and his staff. But the start is a crap sandwich we can all enjoy. Even though im not a Bush fan, I don't point the "you lied" finger at him.

Like the old Rush song, Free Will, says;
"Blame is better given than recieved"