Bush Administration lied to America 935 times to invade Iraq

[ryan costa]

It is a given that the United States is committed to Iraq. Our invasion has destabilized the entire region and provided a lot of motivation to feisty young men there to join Al Quida or some reactionary group.

That being the case, a candidates stance on staying in Iraq should not influence a vote: we are staying there anyways. It is good motivation for voting out most incumbents, especially those close to Bush, Cheney, Gingrich, Rumsfeld, and Bolton. It is the good thing to do.

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
Mr. Costa, you said,

"It is a given that the United States is committed to Iraq."

Why do you say that? Any poll I've seen for the last couple of years, says that the American people want us out of Iraq. That is why we elected a Democratic Congress. Their inability to fulfill the promise they made to end the war is why the rating of Congress is as bad, if not worse, than the rating America gives the Bush Administration.

I saw the Vietnam war go on and on and on. Did you see "The Fog of War"? Year after year it went on and noone would end that war. Finally, Chris Dodd stopped it by stopping the funding for it. We need him to do it again. We shouldn't have to wait for a new President. Congress should act now.

But I disagree with you on feeling that ending the war should not be a reason to vote for someone for President. That is the primary reason for who gets my vote.

[Stephen Eisel]

Stephen - I don't know how to do the quote thing, and I don't care to learn so I have to respond to you directly - but what is the cost of rebuilding the levee's to a Hurrican 5 level : they have been built to a Hurrican 3 level I am just not sure of what the cost difference is. You must know because it is in excess of what we have spent in Iraq the last few years. And don't you think the presence of the National Guard could of mitigated the aftermath ? But there was no National Guard to have. The war in Iraq is bankrupting this county and I don't understand how fiscal conservatives cannot see this

The other thing I don't understand about your thinking is why was San Francisco rebuilt after the earthquake of about a dozen years ago. An earthquake of that magnitude in San Francisco is most likely statistically higher then a Level 5 Hurrican directly hitting New Orleans.

The problem in New Orleans is not resources . The problem is some of the levees do not meet the requirements of the national flood insurance program. A Building in San Francisco that is rebuilt after an eartquake uses new technology that allows for the new building to survive a big quake.

[ryan costa]

last Sunday's episode of 60 minutes was pretty good. They interviewed the FBI guy who interrogated Saddam Hussein. The FBI backs up everything I've said about Saddam Hussein.

The House Resolution to invade Iraq was dumb(even if it was legal). They should not have included charges that predate the first Gulf War. For the War of 1812 we did not march out the Declaration of Independence again. You don't get a do over: George Bush 1 explained why we didn't roll over Iraq the first time in his autobiography. All his predictions came true.

Invading Iraq was counter-productive to the cause of fighting militant Islamic Extremism. They will have to come up with some newer, cooler reasons for invading Iraq. Jim Kunstler suggests it is about "It's about maintaining influence in the part of the world where most of the remaining oil is, and making sure the Straits of Hormuz and the Suez Canal are kept open.". It may even be about propping up waning U.S. prestige in the face of our declining economic prominence on this current Global Stage.

Critics say our media isn't reporting on the good news in Iraq. There was no question we would win eventually though. Iraq had about as much Industrial power as Cuyahoga County had 40 years ago. It only has cost us a few thousand casualties so far. In Iraq there have been a few hundred thousand casualties. About 2 million Iraqis have fled the country, and over a million more have been displaced from their homes. Another reason we will eventually succeed is because as a society, Iraq was already about the most moderate Islamic nation around. Experts agree the dollar cost will be over a trillion dollars when all the bills are paid.

It was practically much easier to get out of Viet Nam, because Viet Nam had no real importance to us to begin with. Iraq has a lot of oil, and is surrounded by other places with a lot of oil, which are right next to Europe. In the post-industrial American Economy the value of the dollar is pegged to a strong expeditionary military presence. For some reason we also need more oil than anyone else, and thus also need some way to pay for it.

Iraq is some kind of democracy now. So are Detroit, Cleveland, and los angeles. But most people don't want to live there. They need a lot of oil to live away from there. I understand that. I could not in good conscience advise anyone with kids to move to cleveland. We're a very educated society, very advanced. Our legal system and administrative systems are very advanced, but in that advancedness the language or technology for telling streetards, lowlifes, and unruly school children you disapprove of their values and behavior has disappeared. That's one reason why we have to keep building new suburbs, and why we need so much oil, and why we won't be leaving Iraq.

So if you are for staying in Iraq, it doesn't matter if a candidate is for staying in Iraq: there is nothing they can really do for or against it.

[Stephen Calhoun]

I think we've established that Bush lovers appreciate Bush's integrity under difficult circumstances and Bush haters 'appreciate Bush's mendacity under difficult circumstances.

Of course we don't have the full story of the intelligence narrative because the counter-advocacy has been classified in the first part of the Roberts report and mostly has been classified in the 9-11 panels' report.

In December 2002 my 75 year old mums asked me if I thought the WMD were in Iraq. I told her, "Probably not." What did I know? Hardly anything except for one concrete, material piece of evidence hardly mentioned here.

Other indicative events not mentioned in this thread include the 'jones' Rumsfeld developed the day after 9-11 to go after Iraq.

Not mentioned is that Bush, after guaranteeing that the US would submit their request for authorization of the war to the UN Security Council, he pulled it off the table. This, incidentally, violates the UN Charter.

Finally, long after the two iterations of the ISG came back mostly empty handed, Cheney was peddling bald mendacities in support of the whole array of threats posed by Iraq circa late 2002.

***

Well, yes, 'get over it.' Vote the Jacobins out of office if that's what you want. I know I do.

However, as messy as Iraq's future is certainly to be, my main complaint against Cheney Inc. and King George is how they've managed to punch gaping holes in the Constitution, a Constitution they are sworn to uphold and protect.

I predict a lot of documents will be shredded as this most corrupt and mendacious and secretive and arrogant and bloody-handed administration transitions its oligarchs into the 'private sector.'

[ryan costa]

If Saddam Hussein were still in Power, and still had the WMDs he had in 1990, it wouldn't make much difference.

Statistically, you are more likely to be hacked to death by Machete wielding sub-saharan Africans. Once the internet gets big over there they'll be ordering credit cards and sailing on yachts to America with machetes and silverware. It is very sad. Every time you turn on the news a few thousand more Africans in various countries there have been hacked to death by machete wielding militias.

Statistically, the oil in Nigeria is closer.