Why did we invade Iraq ?

[rickt300]

How about some solid reasoning for this move. I say it was for two reasons. First the Iraqie secret service tried to assasinate Bush. Second we needed a stretch of beach and a port to invade the country centrally located in the sea of Muslim madness. Afghanistan is a long way from the ocean and at the time flying over Pakistan was out of the question not to mention generally a bitch anyway. Anyone notice the Dims were all over it at the time?

[Gary G]

Iraq began to sell oil in Euros and other currencies. A beginning to the end of dollar hegemony. We live a higher standard of living because we can print and much of that increased money supply is exported because oil is traded in dollars. The US end to Iran being able to use the SWIFT system in order to cut off their money supply has backfired. Now Iranian oil is being exported for gold, Remembi, and Ruples. China, Russia and India are the buyers.

[muznut 54]

First time good reasons second none (family politics) accept for war games (practice) and use up some old equipment.

[rio grande]

 
In 1991, while Iraq endured an Allied air bombardment of 2,000 sorties a day, Saddam did this....
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/18/newsid_4588000/4588486.stm

When Saddam dared strike at the root of the conflict he sealed his fate.

"Israel ...... has said that any attack by Iraq would bring massive "punishment"."

[muznut 54]

Saddam made papa Bush look bad politically, after the first gulf war he was still standing with his country in tacked and thumbing his nose at papa every chance he got. Junior wanted to get even and said they had WMDs then after the war he said intell got it wrong about WMDs. But I remember a CIA agent and her family getting smeared and loosing her job trying to blow the whistle and I'm sure some oversees agents got killed over that.

[powderman]

Saddam made papa Bush look bad politically, after the first gulf war he was still standing with his country in tacked and thumbing his nose at papa every chance he got. Junior wanted to get even and said they had WMDs then after the war he said intell got it wrong about WMDs. But I remember a CIA agent and her family getting smeared and loosing her job trying to blow the whistle and I'm sure some oversees agents got killed over that.

 
Not entirely true. Saddam had em, even  hillary and rest of the dems agreed he had to go. Some were found, most were not. POWDERMAN. 

[ironglow]

  For anyone with intellect and a memory, here's how it went..
 
  1)  Having become used to Clinton's dithering, Saddam Hussein being greedy, decided to invade Kuwait. He launched a bloody and cruel attack.
 
  2) Kuwait, not being as militaristic as Iraq..appeals to the US for help, since no other Persian Gulf state was strong enough to do so.
 
  3) To preserve the free flow of oil (lifeblood of world economies) and to prevent dangerous hegemony of Iraq over Kuwait, the Bush administration decided the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait must not continue.
 
  4) The US started a slow and deliberate buildup of arms and troops..all the while warning Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait.  Saddam had months of warnings, when he could have swmartened up and left Kuwait.
 
  5) After the long, slow buildup and some final warnings to Saddam Hussein..the coalition attack was launched.
 
  6) The battle was not prolonged..Saddam's forces were utterly obliterated in about 100 hours.
 
  7) Next move..Saddam signs and  agrees to a "peace treaty" which says;
                   A) He would live at peace with his neighbors.
                   B) There will be no fly zones which NATO aircraft will patrol without interference by Saddam's forces.
                   C) There will be free and unfettered access to any and all possible nuclear sites in Iraq.
 
  Saddam answered by turning about and doing the following;
                   A) Saddam killed thousands of Kurds..with WMD (poison gas)
                   B) Saddam started ordering his anti aircraft sites to fire missles at allied patrol planes.
                   C) Saddam refused entry to nuclear sites by arms inspectors.
 
  9) Coalition forces continually warned Hussein to stop the missle firing activity and allow arms inspectors "free and unfettered" access.
 
  10)  Late on, the coalition demeanded that Saddam Hussein step down.  Hussein could have stepped down and saved himself the pain and death, but he ignored all these warnings,.....so the allies attacked.
 
 
                 You asked, ......there is a virtual timeline..you may not like the answer..but there it is!
                   

[magooch]

And again, don't forget that it wasn't a single party issue to call for the removal of Saddam Hussein.  I clearly remember a certain Dumycrat named Rockefeller who damanded that action be taken; right along with ole Ted Kennedy, the Clintons and many, many others.  Also, don't forget all the U.N. resolutions.
 
Iraq (Saddam) had eight months to back down and comply with demands that he allow unfettered inspections for WMDs.  He made the wrong choice.  We and our allies made the wrong choice in not just kicking the snot out of them and leaving it as steaming dung heap and example of what happens when you mess around with the bull.

[tobster]

And in that 8 months of screwing around with U.N. approval,etc. Saddam had plenty of time to prepare for what he knew would eventually be coming his way. Instead of talking about it for 8 months (at least) they should have just done it.

[powderman]

And again, don't forget that it wasn't a single party issue to call for the removal of Saddam Hussein.  I clearly remember a certain Dumycrat named Rockefeller who damanded that action be taken; right along with ole Ted Kennedy, the Clintons and many, many others.  Also, don't forget all the U.N. resolutions.
 
Iraq (Saddam) had eight months to back down and comply with demands that he allow unfettered inspections for WMDs.  He made the wrong choice.  We and our allies made the wrong choice in not just kicking the snot out of them and leaving it as steaming dung heap and example of what happens when you mess around with the bull.

 
MAGOOCH. Good post, and also that saddam was suppying money, supplies, and training camps for terrorists. POWDERMAN. 

[nw_hunter]

  For anyone with intellect and a memory, here's how it went..
 
  1)  Having become used to Clinton's dithering, Saddam Hussein being greedy, decided to invade Kuwait. He launched a bloody and cruel attack.
 
  2) Kuwait, not being as militaristic as Iraq..appeals to the US for help, since no other Persian Gulf state was strong enough to do so.
 
  3) To preserve the free flow of oil (lifeblood of world economies) and to prevent dangerous hegemony of Iraq over Kuwait, the Bush administration decided the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait must not continue.
 
  4) The US started a slow and deliberate buildup of arms and troops..all the while warning Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait.  Saddam had months of warnings, when he could have swmartened up and left Kuwait.
 
  5) After the long, slow buildup and some final warnings to Saddam Hussein..the coalition attack was launched.
 
  6) The battle was not prolonged..Saddam's forces were utterly obliterated in about 100 hours.
 
  7) Next move..Saddam signs and  agrees to a "peace treaty" which says;
                   A) He would live at peace with his neighbors.
                   B) There will be no fly zones which NATO aircraft will patrol without interference by Saddam's forces.
                   C) There will be free and unfettered access to any and all possible nuclear sites in Iraq.
 
  Saddam answered by turning about and doing the following;
                   A) Saddam killed thousands of Kurds..with WMD (poison gas)
                   B) Saddam started ordering his anti aircraft sites to fire missles at allied patrol planes.
                   C) Saddam refused entry to nuclear sites by arms inspectors.
 
  9) Coalition forces continually warned Hussein to stop the missle firing activity and allow arms inspectors "free and unfettered" access.
 
  10)  Late on, the coalition demeanded that Saddam Hussein step down.  Hussein could have stepped down and saved himself the pain and death, but he ignored all these warnings,.....so the allies attacked.
 
 
                 You asked, ......there is a virtual timeline..you may not like the answer..but there it is!
                 

I remember the reason for the invasion of Kuwait a little differently!




Hussein had several problems with Kuwait:


The border dispute dating back to Great Britain's  drawing of the lines after World War I.


Kuwait was allegedly (slant drilling) into Iraq's oil fields and stealing its oil.


Kuwait was violating its OPEC production agreements in order to drive down the price of oil and bankrupt Iraq.


The State Department informed Hussein that his dispute with Kuwait was a local matter, and that the U.S. didn't have a diplomatic duty to protect Kuwait if Iraq used military force. This is verified by State Department testimony—during 1990—before congressional committees.


Saddam Hussein told the United States Ambassador to Baghdad that he would not use force against Kuwait provided that the Emir of Kuwait—in a summit that was supposed to occur in July 1990—agreed to end his nation's "economic warfare."The Emir of Kuwait failed to show for the summit


 The Pentagon (directed by Dick Cheney) told the Emir the US would defend Kuwait—even though there was no formal agreement compelling the U.S. to protect them, and even though the U.S. State Department had given Hussein assurances they wouldn't get involved. Hussein, believing he had permission, attacked Kuwait.

[muznut 54]

The second gulf war was about oil also but not for the benefit of you or me but for Bush,Cheney and their cronies to line their pockets. For guys saying that Saddam wouldn't let the nuclear inspectors in I remember them on the news coming out of the sites and saying they found nothing then Bush and his team of liar's spun the story and said that he was moving it all around and of course the rubs said it was the liberal news media twisting things but after the second gulf war Bush admitted to the white house press and just about every network that they got it wrong no WMDs and the intell was wrong, yeah Bush's controlled intell!

[yellowtail3]

I think for multiple reasons, the common denominator being that after 9/11 we wanted to kick some azz and show that we were powerful.


...that's why the public went along with it.

[powderman]

The second gulf war was about oil also but not for the benefit of you or me but for Bush,Cheney and their cronies to line their pockets. For guys saying that Saddam wouldn't let the nuclear inspectors in I remember them on the news coming out of the sites and saying they found nothing then Bush and his team of liar's spun the story and said that he was moving it all around and of course the rubs said it was the liberal news media twisting things but after the second gulf war Bush admitted to the white house press and just about every network that they got it wrong no WMDs and the intell was wrong, yeah Bush's controlled intell!

 
DELETED! I think you know why! I too remember the news from then but remember time after time the inspection team was denied access, and many violations of the no fly zone, that was a direct violation of the agreement they made and opened themselves up to  UN military intervention. POWDERMAN. 

[muznut 54]

Watch the personal insults!!"MODERATOR"Take note that I deleted his feeble attempt at flaming. Just don't let him and others draw you into a spitting contest.Sometimes the one that throws the second punch is the one that gets caught. And oh I forgot to mention it was also because of a spoiled rich kids with a little general syndromes wanting to start their own war as long as they didn't get shot at!

[Junior1942]

Question: Why did we invade Iraq ?
Answer: Republicans see war as good for business.

[jimster]

Question: Why did we invade Iraq ?
Answer: Republicans see war as good for business.

Hey Junior...you forgot an enitre political party....Reps and Dems voted for war....both parties.  Are you aware of this?  Or are you protecting your favorite party?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5p-qIq32m8 

[muznut 54]

Most everyone voted for the U.N. resolutions not necessarily the war and it was because of the Lie's coming from the Bushy admin, heck he had me believing it for ah wile.   

[jimster]

Most everyone voted for the U.N. resolutions not necessarily the war and it was because of the Lie's coming from the Bushy admin, heck he had me believing it for ah wile.

 
You are talking about democrats who were on the national security council and had access to everything the president did...plus the U.N...plus other countries information. 
I would agree with you that the people in power, both reps and dems are complete idiots.....but I can't really agree just one guy (Bush) convinced everyone in the world, all of congress including the U.N. of these things..not to mention Clinton and the Dems were talking about this way BEFORE Bush....Bush administration did not EXIST while Clinton and the Dems told me about weapons of mass destruction.

Ain't that the way you see it?  Or are you just not looking? Would you like me to dig up what the dems and Clinton were saying long before there was a Bush administration...or would you like to admit this Iraq thing was a whole lot older than Bush...we were blowing things up over there long before Bush.
I'm no Bush fan, but I've had a belly full of shifty lying democrats telling me this was all Bush when the facts are it was all them all the time, and way before Bush.  I'm no fan of the U.N stirring the pot either...they are responsible as well.
 
 

[Junior1942]

>I'm no Bush fan, but I've had a belly full of shifty lying democrats telling me this was all Bush when the facts are it was all them all the time
Wow, I didn't know Democrats ordered the Iraq invasion.  So Bush et al  had nothing to do with it?  Cheney didn't make money for Halliburton in the war?  Powell didn't find out on the evening news about the invasion he warned against?  Valerie Plame should have been outed? jimster, you're full of news!

[Nuke41]

 At this point GBO should just go ahead and combine the "Political Issues Discussion" page with the "Truth, Lies and Conspiracy Theories" page since there is no real difference between the two of them anymore.

[ironglow]

  For anyone with intellect and a memory, here's how it went..
 
  1)  Having become used to Clinton's dithering, Saddam Hussein being greedy, decided to invade Kuwait. He launched a bloody and cruel attack.
 
  2) Kuwait, not being as militaristic as Iraq..appeals to the US for help, since no other Persian Gulf state was strong enough to do so.
 
  3) To preserve the free flow of oil (lifeblood of world economies) and to prevent dangerous hegemony of Iraq over Kuwait, the Bush administration decided the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait must not continue.
 
  4) The US started a slow and deliberate buildup of arms and troops..all the while warning Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait.  Saddam had months of warnings, when he could have swmartened up and left Kuwait.
 
  5) After the long, slow buildup and some final warnings to Saddam Hussein..the coalition attack was launched.
 
  6) The battle was not prolonged..Saddam's forces were utterly obliterated in about 100 hours.
 
  7) Next move..Saddam signs and  agrees to a "peace treaty" which says;
                   A) He would live at peace with his neighbors.
                   B) There will be no fly zones which NATO aircraft will patrol without interference by Saddam's forces.
                   C) There will be free and unfettered access to any and all possible nuclear sites in Iraq.
 
  Saddam answered by turning about and doing the following;
                   A) Saddam killed thousands of Kurds..with WMD (poison gas)
                   B) Saddam started ordering his anti aircraft sites to fire missles at allied patrol planes.
                   C) Saddam refused entry to nuclear sites by arms inspectors.
 
  9) Coalition forces continually warned Hussein to stop the missle firing activity and allow arms inspectors "free and unfettered" access.
 
  10)  Late on, the coalition demeanded that Saddam Hussein step down.  Hussein could have stepped down and saved himself the pain and death, but he ignored all these warnings,.....so the allies attacked.
 
 
                 You asked, ......there is a virtual timeline..you may not like the answer..but there it is!
                 

I remember the reason for the invasion of Kuwait a little differently!




Hussein had several problems with Kuwait:  He had a lot of problems with Kuwait..mainly he wanted to grab their land.


The border dispute dating back to Great Britain's  drawing of the lines after World War I. No excuse to attack Kuwait, especially since Saddam came along DECADES after the British  moves.


Kuwait was allegedly (slant drilling) into Iraq's oil fields and stealing its oil. Allegedly..a great excuse for war.


Kuwait was violating its OPEC production agreements in order to drive down the price of oil and bankrupt Iraq. Kuwait couldn't bankrupt Iraq if they wanted to.. especially If Saddam had not been spending everything  on arms and palaces...


The State Department informed Hussein that his dispute with Kuwait was a local matter, and that the U.S. didn't have a diplomatic duty to protect Kuwait if Iraq used military force. This is verified by State Department testimony—during 1990—before congressional committees. Still not a valid excuse to atack your neighbor !


Saddam Hussein told the United States Ambassador to Baghdad that he would not use force against Kuwait provided that the Emir of Kuwait—in a summit that was supposed to occur in July 1990—agreed to end his nation's "economic warfare."The Emir of Kuwait failed to show for the summit  Oh sure, one can always trust the word of a Muslim dictator !

 The Pentagon (directed by Dick Cheney) told the Emir the US would defend Kuwait—even though there was no formal agreement compelling the U.S. to protect them, and even though the U.S. State Department had given Hussein assurances they wouldn't get involved. Hussein, believing he had permission, attacked Kuwait.  Any 3rd grader knows the US cannot "give permission" for one soveriegn state to attack another.

[rio grande]

Saddam made papa Bush look bad politically, after the first gulf war he was still standing with his country in tacked and thumbing his nose at papa every chance he got. Junior wanted to get even and said they had WMDs then after the war he said intell got it wrong about WMDs. But I remember a CIA agent and her family getting smeared and loosing her job trying to blow the whistle and I'm sure some oversees agents got killed over that.

 
Not entirely true. Saddam had em, even  hillary and rest of the dems agreed he had to go. Some were found, most were not. POWDERMAN. 

Of course Hillary and the Democrats supported the war.
That's because, even though some folks like to pretend otherwise, there is no difference to speak of between the Republicans and the democrats.  They are both the party of war, crony capitalism, and banksters (fascism).
 And, BTW, how'd that war go for you?  Now Iraq is a happy, liberated little Switzerland, right?  A cakewalk. Only cost about 200 million $'s, right?   And it's being paid for with Iraqi oil from the thankful Iraqi gov't. 
Even a child could have told you it would be a failure and a disaster.
 But you all had to listen to Rush and Cheney, and now have to justify your foolishness in supporting it.
 
 
 

[Swampman]

How about some solid reasoning for this move.

They kept shooting at our planes and violating the peace treaty they signed.
 
They were paying muslims $50,000.00 each to go to Israel and blow up buses full of people.
 
They had weapons of mass destruction that are now in Syria.

[muznut 54]

I can assure you guys I'm not Junior!

[ironglow]

Saddam made papa Bush look bad politically, after the first gulf war he was still standing with his country in tacked and thumbing his nose at papa every chance he got. Junior wanted to get even and said they had WMDs then after the war he said intell got it wrong about WMDs. But I remember a CIA agent and her family getting smeared and loosing her job trying to blow the whistle and I'm sure some oversees agents got killed over that.

 
Not entirely true. Saddam had em, even  hillary and rest of the dems agreed he had to go. Some were found, most were not. POWDERMAN. 

Of course Hillary and the Democrats supported the war.
That's because, even though some folks like to pretend otherwise, there is no difference to speak of between the Republicans and the democrats.  They are both the party of war, crony capitalism, and banksters (fascism).
 And, BTW, how'd that war go for you?  Now Iraq is a happy, liberated little Switzerland, right?  A cakewalk. Only cost about 200 million $'s, right?   And it's being paid for with Iraqi oil from the thankful Iraqi gov't. 
Even a child could have told you it would be a failure and a disaster.
 But you all had to listen to Rush and Cheney, and now have to justify your foolishness in supporting it.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
 
  Of course..we should have realized...only communists can run a nation the right way...       

[ironglow]

How about some solid reasoning for this move.

They kept shooting at our planes and violating the peace treaty they signed.
 
They were paying muslims $50,000.00 each to go to Israel and blow up buses full of people.
 
They had weapons of mass destruction that are now in Syria.

.
Did one of our planes go down or get clipped flying over Iracqui airspace..? Don't recall
I believe they payed $25k to families who lost a breadwinner in the Infatada.
.WMD moved to Syria closer to isreal?...nope,,,would never be allowed,,,and now Syria falling into hands of radical moslem dissendents and al ciaduh....NOPE.....need proof on this one in the real world...
.
..TM7

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
 
  WEll TM;
  Writing about the time Sadam was swinging from a rope, Gen. Georges Sada. Saddam's Vice Air Marshall said in his book that Saddam had WMD.  He moved them into Syria, while Turkey held us up for 2-3 weeks, denying coalition forces entrance to Iraq from their frontier.   http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iraqs-wmd-secreted-in-syria-sada-says/26514/
 
  Quite frankly TM, I believe the second in command of Saddam's Air force ..would have a better handle on that information than you would !
 
  Try reading Sada's book "Saddam's Secrets"..you can learn a lot..I did when I read it..

[ironglow]

  Here's the whole "rouges gallery" of important people who KNEW Saddam had WMD in Iraq when we invaded..and what they said about it.
   When the WMD were not found (doesn't mean they weren't there..he used some on the Kurds)..then these rouges decided to say "Bush lied" ! Well, if he lied , they also did,...but they are not honest enough to own up to it.
   Fact is, Bush did not lie..Saddam had WMD when these people and the best intelligence agencies said he did..
  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_George_Bush_lie_about_the_WMDs_in_Iraq
 
  So if Bush lied once...all these folks lied twice..once when the claimed Saddam had WMD..and twice..when the denied they said it !

[scootrd]

I just finished reading in an article from a writer who stated insane reason why we really invaded.
I love folks who try to rewrite history. What a nut job that Author was.

We invaded because Junior wanted to complete what SR. did not. They lied to America (yes Lied).
sold us a bill of goods about WMD to Justify. Cheney was the architect. Helped Haiburton was there for the clean-up.

Bush explained it too us so very clearly at the correspondents dinner  ----

"Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere," Bush joked. "Nope, no weapons over there ... maybe under here?"

Fact was none of the 9/11 attackers were Iraqi's, they missed the ball, sold us a bill of goods , and invaded under false pretenses . They had already planned to invade Iraq well before 9/11 came along. 9/11 was just the convenient opportunity they were looking for , Simple as that.

Ah Yes the good ole days.. where have they gone

[jimster]

First time I heard of WMD was way before Bush, everyone knows it, so does Junior.  They keep saying it was all Bush, even though I showed them where all the dems were in it up to there necks, both before and after Bush, and still today.
Clinton bombed Iraq 1998 operation desert fox...due to WMD..  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENAV_UoIfgc
George HW Bush went into Iraq 1990...this was known as the gulf war 1, or Iraq war as some called it.  and lots of democrats voted for that too in congress, lots of big name dems.
So we go into Iraq again,...Bush Jr. gets the same yes votes from the same big name dems in congress.  Both dems and reps have been in these war games for years, and more places than they tell you about, but I guess if you belong to either party you have to defend them. 
So here are some facts, the house has been controlled by democrats for 46 of 60 years, and the Senate controlled by dems for about 40 out of 60 years...and pretty much since the end of 2006 to boot.
For those who support the dem party, all the things you complain about now...you OWN it.  You made it this way.  This is not really my opinion either...there is a such thing as facts.  And this does not mean I'm a republican because I'm laying out these facts either, I am having a real hard time supporting those idiots as well....I'm just giving hard core democrats the facts hoping they will notice the problems they have caused.