Here's an election scene we don't encounter here in the U.S.:
Still, I feel compelled to point out that the end -- and this is far, far, far from the end -- does not justify the means. Whatever yesterday's successes, it cannot be denied that our invasion and occupation were made on claims that turned out to be utterly false. Had we not destabilized the country and botched the occupation, Iraq's elections might have been held much sooner than they were, and much more peacefully. I firmly believe there was a nonviolent way to oust Saddam from power through diplomatic pressure.
Whatever happens with Iraq's new governmental system and its nascent constitution, members of the Bush administration must still be held accountable for the bad intelligence, bad judgment, lack of foresight and preparation, arrogance, violation of international laws and torture.
4 comments:
Amen brother! And.. what.. you've never had your donkey x-rayed? It takes forever... And, with mine, I always have explain the metal nut twice... they just don't get it.
Actually this isn't as crazy as it might look. There was an incident last year where a donkey hauling a cart was sent on its way past a government building in Iraq and then a bomb was detonated with a cell-phone device. Now, that's cowardly. Despite the threat, I can't help but find this picture hilarious.
I would have to say that believing Saddam would have peacably arrived at the point we are now is like believing the U.N. is worth a shit.
Saddam flipped his dick at the world and at the U.N. for 12 years. He violated countless laws and tortured his own people. The invasion might have been a poorly planned and executed event and the pretenses under which we invaded might have been false but make no mistake about it, Saddam would continued his reign of terror for as long as he could.
The alternative did not depend on Saddam to behave. Christian leaders came up with this plan:
1. Indict Saddam for crimes against humanity and declare the intention to try him in The Hague as we did with Milosevic; the entire world, even many Arab nations, would have supported that.
2. Pursue coercive disarmament with intensified inspections backed by a multinational UN-mandated force; whatever Saddam wouldn't let us inspect, we blow up.
3. Establish the new Iraqi government through a temporary UN administration rather than US-led military occupation.
4. Organize a massive humanitarian effort that would take effect before any military action, rather than waiting until the bombing was over.
5. Encourage cooperation and be willing to work flexibly with other nations and their needs and ideas.
Yes, it might have taken longer to accomplish the principle task of removing Saddam from power, but 1400+ and counting Americans would be alive, as many as 100,000 Iraqis would be alive, and Iraq would still have its vital infrastructure in place, saving the US billions and billions of dollars, not to mention our natural status as a respected world leader, rather than an arrogant conqueror.
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