Spring Break
Years later, there is still no justification for Iraq War
J. David McSwane
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: Opinion
It's quite remarkable how much the Iraq War has defined my generation and influenced the political views of both friend and foe.
With President Barack Obama's gutsy announcement Friday that troops will be withdrawn by August 31, 2010, a little reflection is in order.
The first time I really remember asking any sort of tough question about the world in which we live came as I watched the assault on Baghdad, Iraq, of March 20, 2003.
"Why are we bombing Iraq?" I said between heated bouts of Tekken Tag Team.
Nearly six years later, it's still a simple question for which I have yet to find a good answer.
Was it the weapons of mass destruction (come out, come out wherever you are)? Was it to unseat the tyrannical dictator Saddam Hussein (whoever put him in must be a big dumb dumb)?
What about spreading democracy (worked in Vietnam)? Osama Bin Laden (not in Iraq)? A modern day "crusade?" (Want a side of mobilized insurgency with your bad intelligence?)
To keep this in perspective, CSU's non-failing senior graduating class were less than a month into the 9th grade when the World Trade Center towers were struck.
At this time and up until March 20, 2003, I was something of a nationalist and a conservative -- a homophobe, a Young Marine color guard flank, a W. Bush supporter considering military service (came close once ... well, never mind). Imagine that. I know I hardly can anymore.
I guess it's just something about being lied to and witnessing the neocons' systematic rape of everything I loved about our great nation that led me to become the unpatriotic dissenter whose columns you now have the great privilege of reading.
And I know I'm not the only one. The Democrats run the country now. Oh, snap!
But depending on the goal, perhaps, the Iraq War --Â first "Operation Iraqi Freedom," then "The Iraq Conflict," then "The Occupation of Iraq," and if you're feeling saucy, "The Second Gulf War" -- was a relative success.
With President Barack Obama's gutsy announcement Friday that troops will be withdrawn by August 31, 2010, a little reflection is in order.
The first time I really remember asking any sort of tough question about the world in which we live came as I watched the assault on Baghdad, Iraq, of March 20, 2003.
"Why are we bombing Iraq?" I said between heated bouts of Tekken Tag Team.
Nearly six years later, it's still a simple question for which I have yet to find a good answer.
Was it the weapons of mass destruction (come out, come out wherever you are)? Was it to unseat the tyrannical dictator Saddam Hussein (whoever put him in must be a big dumb dumb)?
What about spreading democracy (worked in Vietnam)? Osama Bin Laden (not in Iraq)? A modern day "crusade?" (Want a side of mobilized insurgency with your bad intelligence?)
To keep this in perspective, CSU's non-failing senior graduating class were less than a month into the 9th grade when the World Trade Center towers were struck.
At this time and up until March 20, 2003, I was something of a nationalist and a conservative -- a homophobe, a Young Marine color guard flank, a W. Bush supporter considering military service (came close once ... well, never mind). Imagine that. I know I hardly can anymore.
I guess it's just something about being lied to and witnessing the neocons' systematic rape of everything I loved about our great nation that led me to become the unpatriotic dissenter whose columns you now have the great privilege of reading.
And I know I'm not the only one. The Democrats run the country now. Oh, snap!
But depending on the goal, perhaps, the Iraq War --Â first "Operation Iraqi Freedom," then "The Iraq Conflict," then "The Occupation of Iraq," and if you're feeling saucy, "The Second Gulf War" -- was a relative success.
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Registered Independent
posted 3/02/09 @ 11:03 AM MST
Mr. McSwane:
It can hardly be said that Obama's oh-so-carefully worded announcement of the phased pullout of combat troops (only) from Iraq was "gutsy". (Continued…)
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