[StBernard] Memory test: Why did the U.S. go into Iraq?

[Westley Annis]

Oh hell John.  Now you're gonna start the argument about who voted for the
AUMF and whether it really, really, meant to, well...use force!  <g>

Jim




	
	-----------------------------------------------------
	It seems appropriate to now respond with the correct answer, after
Wendy
	responded :-) , to the question "why we went into Iraq?"
	
	Everything Wendy and others have responded regarding the WMD is
correctly
	part of the answer.  But if you recall, I explained my question in
detail as
	to what specifically was the straw that broke the camel's back -
what
	finally triggered the U.S. to begin the invasion?
	
	How often we forget, or if it's the liberal media How often they
	"conveniently" forget, the
	 events that led up to the U.S. invasion. 
	Taking
	a trip back into history, I'm sure most recall the United Nations
	inspectors
	going into Iraq.  The UN inspection team had specific location and
	facilities they wanted to inspect.  For the most part, Hussein
cooperated
	until it came down to the last few location the UN team wanted to
inspect.
	As it was pointed out, there was intelligence provided to the UN
from Great
	Brittain and other countries (NOT the U.S.) that these specific
locations
	were the spots where it was most believed the WMD existed.
	
	And how did Hussein respond to the request for inspecting these
location?
	He reacted very nervously, declined the reqeust for inspection to
those
	locations, then promptly expelled the UN inspection team from Iraq.
	
	Now, based on his reaction, his behavior during that reaction, and
add to
	that the suspicion of the WMD in those locations...what the UN and
	 the
	United States to believe?  And use some common sense here.
Everyone, and I
	mean EVERYONE in the United States, the UN and around the world
concluded
	the same thing - he was hiding something in those locations.
	
	The UN, not the Unites States, gave Hussein and deadline ultimatum -
allow
	the inspectors back in or else.  It was the "UN that asked the
United
	States" to support its ultimatum, thus the U.S. joined in.  I'm not
	saying
	at this point the UN wanted a war invasion, but the United States
made it
	clear, days prior to this that an military action (not economic
sanctions)
	could possibly be "our" reaction to Hussein's failure to comply
	with the
	ulitmatum...thus, no one can say they were surprised by our taking
military
	action.
	
	Thus, what can be concluded from all this.  Had Saddam Hussein
complied with
	the UN request, allowed the inspectors into those specific locations
and
	found nothing, it is
	 safe to say the United States to this day would never
	had invaded Iraq.  Even if George W. Bush was itching to go in,
still had
	Hussein complied and no WMD ever found, Bush would have bit and
chewed off
	his lower lip, but he still would not have gone into Iraq because
even he
	would have known there would have been no support from the
internation
	community.  So, if anyone is to blame for all this Iraqi mess, it's
no
	other
	than Saddam Hussein himself.  He could have easily prevented this.
	
	In closing, I find it funny how the media fails to talk about
Hussein's
	expelling the UN inspectors and his suspicious behavior as the cause
for the
	U.S. going in.  Just another attempt by them to rewrite history the
way they
	would prefer it.  Unfortunately for them, I and others correctly
remember
	history.  On a side note, I kinda blame President Bush for not doing
a
	better job of reminding everyone about this.
	
	John Scurich