Pick your poison (Iraq)

[Careless]

time for people to come out with their suggestions for the US course of action pre-invasion

Feel free to add your own suggestions, of course

Aside from invasion I see continued sanctions and leaving them alone. sanctions seem to have kept the WMD out, while giving the world thousands of tv hours to bash the US for killing "100,000 iraqi children"

Voting for that is saying "I'm ok with the world giving us crap constatly for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of iraqi children"

Option 3 is to leave iraq alone, in which case saddam probably (feel free to disagree with me here) would have gone for WMD again (nuclear, if he had a brain)

Again, alternatives are encouraged

[ConstableRabbit]

Nothing wrong with the poll for the sake of a good (if not overdone) argument, but I think the real question is where to go from here.

[Roast]

I see this thread turning into a bush-bash.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I see this thread turning into a bush-bash.

 

Mmm... bush...

[OleMissCub]

I see this thread turning into a bush-bash.

 

Mmm... bush...

 

I live bush when he is clean shaven..... :P

[Roast]

I see this thread turning into a bush-bash.

 

Mmm... bush...

 

I live bush when he is clean shaven..... :P

 

You guys are sick. Sick I tell you.

 

*was thinking the exact same thing*

[Omar]

Although I dont know how the hell we got from looking for Osama in Afghanistan to looking for Saddam in Iraq.. It did do some good. Both countries we attacked, are also getting better. We are banishing the Taliban, and giving people more freedoms. Seeing an Iraqi soccer team for the 2004 Summer Olympics really made me proud of this country.

 

"If America was a cake, it would be a big ass chocolate cake with extra frosting... AND EVERYBODY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE!" - Rough quote from that one movie.

 

But really, being the most powerful country in the world, it is our right, and our duty to help out other countries that are totally screwed up & less fortunate. We're not doing this for ourselves, but we still gain respect. We also shouldnt expect anything back from the countries because they cant help themselves in the first place.

 

If its not worth the lives lost, then US could've increased it's security even more instead of just attacking Iraq..

 

Well thats my .02.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I can't believe that high of a percentage would still want to invade.

[Balsa]

How about 'continue to put pressure on Iraq and work out a wider global consensus and investigate WMD accusations further'?

[TruffleShuffle]

I can't believe that high of a percentage would still want to invade.

 

That's because a high percentage is not in the military and isn't close to someone who is.

[KatJ]

I can't believe that high of a percentage would still want to invade.

 

That's because a high percentage is not in the military and isn't close to someone who is.

 

Um, no.

 

But interestingly enough, I made that exact same statement to one of my high school teachers back in Gulf War I - she was for that invasion, and had a stepson hip-deep in it.

 

I don't have the time or the inclination to get into this at length, but Ms. Sheehan aside, far more of those who are close to those in the military "get" the war than those who don't.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I can't believe that high of a percentage would still want to invade.

 

That's because a high percentage is not in the military and isn't close to someone who is.

 

Um, no.

 

But interestingly enough, I made that exact same statement to one of my high school teachers back in Gulf War I - she was for that invasion, and had a stepson hip-deep in it.

 

I don't have the time or the inclination to get into this at length, but Ms. Sheehan aside, far more of those who are close to those in the military "get" the war than those who don't.

By "get" the war do you mean blindly support it because that way they feel their loved ones aren't risking their lives for nothing?

[KatJ]

By "get" the war do you mean blindly support it because that way they feel their loved ones aren't risking their lives for nothing?

 

Ah, that's brilliant. How many other iterations of "when did stop beating your wife" do you know?

 

I hope the Cubs do well this season. I'm much better with baseball.

[Careless]

How about 'continue to put pressure on Iraq and work out a wider global consensus and investigate WMD accusations further'?

[sorry, I've been busy since the night I posted this poll]

that's not an answer. that's closest to "continue killing children through sanctions while the US gets dragged through the mud over it

Again, the US was absolutely despised in the international community before 9/11, largely because of the iraq sanctionss.

[MPrior]

While I'm not sure I want to get into a discussion on this topic on a baseball message board, I would like to point out that, while the international opinion of the US was not great before the invasion, it was nowhere near as bad as it has been since. We are loathed across the globe moreso than at any time in recent memory, and I'm pretty sure that it has to do with starting a war(which costs thousands of lives, millions of dollars, and the good graces of the rest of the world) for, as far as I can tell, no good reason.

 

Of course, I'm telling myself that I just shouldn't even post this, because I'm inviting a discussion that I want no part of - but I still can't resist. If anyone is burning to specifically discuss this with me, though, pm me, because I may not check this thread again.

[Andy]

While I'm not sure I want to get into a discussion on this topic on a baseball message board, I would like to point out that, while the international opinion of the US was not great before the invasion, it was nowhere near as bad as it has been since. We are loathed across the globe moreso than at any time in recent memory, and I'm pretty sure that it has to do with starting a war(which costs thousands of lives, millions of dollars, and the good graces of the rest of the world) for, as far as I can tell, no good reason.

 

Of course, I'm telling myself that I just shouldn't even post this, because I'm inviting a discussion that I want no part of - but I still can't resist. If anyone is burning to specifically discuss this with me, though, pm me, because I may not check this thread again.

I wouldn't worry about it. Most on NSBB seem to agree with your thoughts.

 

I personally can't see continued sanctions working. I saw no recourse but to invade. Sanctions don't seem to have worked on Iran and North Korea (I think there are/were sanctions on them, right?) if they are to be believed when they say they have the capability to or already have nukes.

[UK1679666180]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11491483/

 

At this point, they have to forward and somehow prevent Civil War. I was against the War at the start '03 and am still opposed to it.

[CubinNY]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11491483/

 

At this point, they have to forward and somehow prevent Civil War. I was against the War at the start '03 and am still opposed to it.

 

No kidding. If it wasn't a civil war before the bombing of the golden mosque it surely is looking that way now. American soliders will be caught in the middle.

 

Train those Iraqi troops and get out quick before anymore soliders have to die, that is my solution.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

I don't have a problem with the decision to invade. My only problem is with the way the invasion and subsequent rebuilding have been handled. This war was very winnable (quickly) had we been more ruthless at the beginning and more willing to open up the pocketbook in the early stages of reconstruction.

 

People can rant about Bush's motives all they want and scream about how the rest of the world hates us. The truth is we had a golden opportunity to create an ally in Iraq, which might have positively influenced the Middle East. It certainly didn't have to create more enemies of this country. If we had made the average Iraqis' life better quickly (e.g. flying in massive generators to get electrical power to the people), the American presence in Iraq would be more tolerable and maybe not even necessary at this point in time. Take away the seeds of the insurgency before it catches fire by getting the masses on your side. Instead we halfassed it, allowed the insurgency to grow and adapt. That doesn't benefit anyone other than the terrorists, who use this war to stir up support.

 

You can't blame the military for this. They are a tool and do what they do. They're not experts in the rebuilding process. That should have come from the civilian leadership, both Republican and Democrat.