Iraq ≠ War on Terror: How to 'splain it
It takes years to turn public opinion (eg civil rights, Vietnam, Watergate) but it takes a sustainted, simple drumbeat.
Very Simple (Akin to one bass drum):
"Iraq had no Jihadist base, THUS they had nothing to do with 9/11. AFTER Bush's invasion Iraq became a terror cesspool."
More Sophisticated (Akin to a bass, snare drum, and cymbals):
"Bin Laden and most Jihadists hated Saddam becasue he was secular. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 and his secret police would have wiped out any type of insurgency. Bush invaded under false pretences and completely mishandled the occupation. Therefore Iraq had become a sinkhole with terrorists rushing in from all over, and new terrorists being inspired. So ultimately, when Bush says "we must fight them in Iraq", there didn't used to be a "them" in Iraq."
Most Sophisticated (Whole percussion section):
"The invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the War on Terror, infact he created a whole new front in the war. Bin Laden hated secularists like Saddam. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 as the Administration led most Americans to believe.
The occupation of Iraq has been mishandled on many levels namely disbanding the army, alientating the world community, and failing to pacify the Sunnis by assuring them their place in a new government. Thus Iraq is now a political sinkhole.
Jihadists from all over are now pouring into Iraq. Saddam's secret police would have cut them off at the head. New young people are now being inspired to become terrorists.
Remember, Terror is an emotion. Terrorism is a tactic. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of civilization. Labeling everything under the rubric of "terror" is setting us up to fail with a poor choice of language.
Make no mistake, George W. Bush has worsened the problem of Jihadism. Any president who understood statecraft would have worked with the world to indict Saddam Hussein. There would have been a worldwide diplomatic campaign to unify world opinion. Iraq would have been flooded with so many inspectors that Saddams sovereignty would have worsened. If war broke out, the moral weight of world opinion would have been with us. Costs would have been shared.
The political control of Iraq would have immediately been put under the UN, without compromising the authority of American troops. The corpus of the Iraqi army would be in tact and there would be enough security to keep a functioning government, with an effective legal system and the infrastructure for elections. All groups, particularly the Sunnis would be assured a new place in the democracy. Then we would have fewer dead, more prosperity, and Iraq would be the true beacon for Middle East democracy.
But don't blame me, I voted for Gore and Kerry"
Very Simple (Akin to one bass drum):
"Iraq had no Jihadist base, THUS they had nothing to do with 9/11. AFTER Bush's invasion Iraq became a terror cesspool."
More Sophisticated (Akin to a bass, snare drum, and cymbals):
"Bin Laden and most Jihadists hated Saddam becasue he was secular. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 and his secret police would have wiped out any type of insurgency. Bush invaded under false pretences and completely mishandled the occupation. Therefore Iraq had become a sinkhole with terrorists rushing in from all over, and new terrorists being inspired. So ultimately, when Bush says "we must fight them in Iraq", there didn't used to be a "them" in Iraq."
Most Sophisticated (Whole percussion section):
"The invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the War on Terror, infact he created a whole new front in the war. Bin Laden hated secularists like Saddam. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 as the Administration led most Americans to believe.
The occupation of Iraq has been mishandled on many levels namely disbanding the army, alientating the world community, and failing to pacify the Sunnis by assuring them their place in a new government. Thus Iraq is now a political sinkhole.
Jihadists from all over are now pouring into Iraq. Saddam's secret police would have cut them off at the head. New young people are now being inspired to become terrorists.
Remember, Terror is an emotion. Terrorism is a tactic. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of civilization. Labeling everything under the rubric of "terror" is setting us up to fail with a poor choice of language.
Make no mistake, George W. Bush has worsened the problem of Jihadism. Any president who understood statecraft would have worked with the world to indict Saddam Hussein. There would have been a worldwide diplomatic campaign to unify world opinion. Iraq would have been flooded with so many inspectors that Saddams sovereignty would have worsened. If war broke out, the moral weight of world opinion would have been with us. Costs would have been shared.
The political control of Iraq would have immediately been put under the UN, without compromising the authority of American troops. The corpus of the Iraqi army would be in tact and there would be enough security to keep a functioning government, with an effective legal system and the infrastructure for elections. All groups, particularly the Sunnis would be assured a new place in the democracy. Then we would have fewer dead, more prosperity, and Iraq would be the true beacon for Middle East democracy.
But don't blame me, I voted for Gore and Kerry"
posted by Teka Thomas at 11:47 AM
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