Tampa Sez"Taking out the Iraqi regime,turning the nation into a parking lot will do nothing to diminish the terrorist threat. In fact, our "success" in in Iraq will tie us down, and bleed our resources for years to come. It will also further the cause of our real enemies." "I do not know if my leaders are inept, foolish, or just trying to cover up their failure to defeat terrorism at it's core, but the issue of "resolution 1441" is absurd." Tampa - I still say the President cannot take the chance that tons of Bio and Chem Weapons will never leave IRAQ. 1441 - Bush was being kind to the UN, to even ask for 1441, the UN has no power and no reason to exist, other than as an ineffective DEBATING CLUB. IRAQ is part of the Terror Network, and Powell stated the case, but the evidence you require is going to put forth AFTER WE HAVE BOOTS on the ground.
Have it your way. But when you are mired down for many years to come rebuilding a nation with money you do not have, when you have inflamed millions of people world wide, and a suicide bomber walks into your local shopping center and sets off a bomb full of common nails killing 50 people maybe you will remember the deliberate exaggerations, and untruths uttered to whip you into a frenzy. exaggerations such as the UN report of Iraq being months from having the bomb - a UN report that does not, and never did exist. Or the absurd claim that maybe Iraq could send an unmanned plane launched from a boat off shore to shower us with biological or chemical agents over American cities - and maybe pigs can fly. Have you seen the size of the so called "war heads" UN inspectors have found? They are tactical weapons - battlefield weapons that cover very limited areas, how large and cumbersome do you think one would have to be to take out Toledo, let alone LA? Yes, there are all kinds of thing that could happen - that crazy old Pope might want to take care of the Southern Baptists once and for all - but before you kill or endanger millions, you need to see a realistic threat. But you have it your way - and may God forgive you - and may he protect you from the band of 5 lunatics sitting in Kansas City plotting to take out an office building in your town with fertilizer and fuel oil next month.
IRAQ Battle Field Weapons - Bio and Chem can be hand carried out by anyone of the Borders with IRAQ, Syria, Jordan, Iran, and they get to the US, they don't need a high technolodgy to accomplish that. IRAQ - yes they will need rebuilding, but they will have the income to rebuild, since the money now being spent by Saddam for Palaces, weapons programs, and paying for a large army can be deverted to the rebuilding. You mentioned UN - don't waste time quoting UN reports - I think the entire UN is a WASTE of TIME. Tampa - you are being silly, there are certain things that cannot be prevented (like putting fertilizer in a Ryder Truck). How are you ever going to prevent something like that. You can also be hit by a car walking across a street. I am not afraid of taking IRAQ out of the Terrorist Network, its the right thing to do.
My silly young lad, It was not I who quoted the UN report - it was George W. Bush who quoted the report that does not exist. He is either a stupid man for having done so, or a fibber who deliberately told you something to inflame you - take your pick. BTW - I'd like to see you walking around carrying one of those war heads. But your mind is made up - you want war - a war 8.000 miles away, while you sleep safely in your bed. a war you choose not to take part in, but stand by cheering others to take your place. A war now based on taped telephone conversations that don't really say anything, photographs of things you cannot identify, and reports of terrorist gatherings similar to gatherings in perhaps 50 other nations - including your own. But as I have already said, your mind is made up - it has been made up by others, without bothering to actually think for yourself - and the bombs will fly as you sit back and watch on television.
... analysis of Powell's presentation and the reaction to it... http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn09.html Mark Steyn After Iraq, UN's days are numbered February 9, 2003 Excerpts:
By the Way Tampa, you picked the wrong guy to say I'm a cheer leader from A FAR. I served in the Military, Vietnam ERA, Coldwar ERA, and no generation in my Family ever missed service going back to the Revolutionary War. So foget the Chickhawk approach. I also have several close friends in CENTRAL COMMAND and several people I Trained flying in USAF, Navy, and the Army. Bio and Chem can slip out of the country in other than warheads. IRAQ is in the Terrorist Network, it doesn't take much to expose that, and Powell did a great job of exposing what they are up to. Lets talk again in about a month - we'll see how much they (not the inspectors but the US Army) discover in IRAQ. I am confident in our Military and their ability to make this a very short conflict.
Powell might have as well gotten up and done the Macarena at the UN meeting. My point is that those who would believe him would come away agreeing that Iraq is a menace to be taken out. And those who don't believe him would make excuses and platitudes. The world is in two camps. There isn't much you can do to make people switch camps. As we can see on ET (a microcosm of the world). Things are simply going to play themselves out. As the Chinese saying goes, we are living in 'interesting times'.
.. ...and I am confident that our inept President will turn it into a decades long boondoggle, costing billions we do not have, and doing not one damn thing to to put so much as a dent in terrorism... Since you seem to have so little insight into the ramifications of this misadventure, may I assume that your military background was spent mainly as a cook?
I served and it sounds like YOU DID NOT. Bush is not inept and the Team of Powell, Rumsfeld and Cheney are probably the best people on the planet to handle this. You and your kind are inept at understanding how terrorism works or who supports them. Costing billions? Avoiding the source of the problem will cost us more. How do you want to fight Terrorism? What till they get the stuff out of Iraq and bring it here? Its still going to take years - but IRAQ is the source, or one of them and the logical next step.
"ramifications of this misadventure" Tampa no one will be messing with the United States for a long while (as a Nation) after the End Game in IRAQ. There might be some Terrorist Attacks, but then again, this may be the turning point.