The Right Thing To Do

[MM38084]

Shopkeepers who display fragile items on their shelves have posted this warning for years: "You break it, you bought it."

That's what the United States is up against in Iraq. We invaded their land, smashed their country, and took over every aspect of their government and economy. Temporarily, we own Iraq. We broke it, now we have to pay to fix it.


To do anything less - to move too fast toward an exit, to attempt to get by on the cheap - could prove disastrous.


So, it's more than a little disingenuous for congressional Democrats who know better - or for average voters who supported the war - to complain now about the $87 billion cost of rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan. Keep in mind that most of the money sought by the Bush administration, about $67 billion, is for military needs; $20 billion is for infrastructure.


If you hear pandering politicians say that we should be spending those billions on our roads, our schools, our cities, they're selling you a bill of goods.


Don't buy it.


Sen. Debbie Stabenow devised a political stunt here in Michigan, calling a news conference to demand that $5 billion, or one-fourth of the $20 billion designated for Iraq reconstruction, should be spent on health care, highways and school construction in the United States.


Sounds good, but Iraq is in shambles and $5 billion there for schools or hospitals or electricity will have a far more dramatic impact than $5 billion spread to 50 states and thousands of cities here. More importantly, Iraq is a political powder keg of our own making, and delaying the dawn of a functioning society there could have dire consequences for our foreign policy, and deadly consequences for our military.


The post-war price tag shouldn't surprise Stabenow and other lawmakers who opposed the war - they had ominously predicted a far more expensive outcome, up to $200 billion. But now they hypocritically express astonishment at the $87 billion cost.


It was a legitimate position to oppose the military invasion. But now that we're in control of Baghdad, with 130,000 troops trying to keep a lid on the chaos, it's not a legitimate position to say we should pull out or pull back.


If we abandon the Iraqis, the image of a weak-kneed America lacking in commitment will reverberate throughout the Middle East. Worse yet, we will leave behind a new haven for terrorists and anti-Western Muslim radicals.


The post-war mess in Iraq is undeniable. The lack of planning is apparent. But we're stuck seeing this through to the end. The American public can't express enthusiastic support for the war in March and April and then claim in September and October that they didn't understand the financial implications of smashing Saddam's regime.


Another dishonest tactic at this stage of the post-war debate is the talk of "internationalizing" the reconstruction process so that other countries share the expense. Democratic complaints that we're lacking international assistance are irrelevant. Face it.

No help is on the way.


Most hypocritical of all is Rep. Richard Gephardt who, as a presidential candidate denounces Bush as a failure for not taking a multilateral approach. But it was Gephardt, as the former House Minority Leader, who played a pivotal role in getting the unilateral Bush war resolution passed by Congress last year. It was Gephardt who cut the legs out from bipartisan, alternative resolutions which would have required a multilateral approach to the war and reconstruction.


To be fair, Bush was far from forthright in warning the taxpayers about the cost of this mission. Estimates that oil revenues would pay for the post-war transition were wildly off the mark. And the intelligence gathering about the state of the Iraqi economy and infrastructure was probably even worse than the intelligence about weapons of mass destruction.


But we decided to go it alone, so now we're in it alone. If we don't finish the job, if we don't pave the way for a healthy democracy, we will cheapen the hundreds of American lives already lost in Iraq.


There's a price to pay for being the superpower, the standard-bearer of democracy, the leader of the global war on terrorism. And there's a reputation to uphold.


Surely, America doesn't want to be seen as the kind who breaks something and then runs out the door.

It is time we stop the games and do the right thing.

Bob

[HARDCORE]

BOB -

"The Right Thing To Do &

You break it, you bought it." (Your Quotes)

*An interesting choice of words there Bob!!
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Your Second Quote:

That's what the United States is up against in Iraq. We invaded their land, smashed their country, and took over every aspect of their government and economy.

*One question here Bob - If this is indeed what we did (?), why did we find it necessary do you think? Terrorism perhaps, Hussein's ambition and lust toward his neighbors, maybe?" The deaths of our own people, possibly?
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Your Last Quote Bob:

We broke it, now we have to pay to fix it.

* "WHY BOB?" Did we openly promote terrorism? Did Iraq pay for the destruction in Kuwait in 1991? Did we us WMD against an adversary, and threaten to use the same against us (USA)! Did we murder, kill and maim in the name of power and fortune!

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I heard on the news this evening where Saddam still has some $3 Billion Plus stashed away for his old age! How much money do our troopers being ambushed daily have tucked away for their old age, which incidentally will never come for many!

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Noble sentiments indeed Bob, especially when dealing with rational people! "Is blowing up UN facilities rational? Is shooting peacekeepers in the back rational? Is expecting those who already spilled their blood to liberate this nation, to again dig deep and suffer more, rational?

The bottom line here Bob, is that Hussein and his followers were not the victims, and many Iraqis went along for the hayride!

Did these people shed a tear for their fellow Middle-Easterners in Kuwait, for the babies tossed to their deaths from incubators, or the women raped and murdered?

Had we not stopped Hussein, would he have stopped with Kuwait and even Saudi Arabia in 1991 or 2003? "Would Hitler have?"

Yes Bob, I feel badly for any human suffering, but if Iraq is to be rebuilt, it should be their oil revenues that accomplish this goal! At the very least, any money expended by us there, should only be a loan!

The blood spilled by American and Coalition forces in Gulf Wars I and II, and even now as we speak, were not loans, they were gifts of liberty! And although the bodies of our gallant servicemen may have been returned home, their blood will forever saturate the sands of the Middle East!!



VERITAS

[MM38084]

HardCore!!
Sorry if I ruffed your Feathers But I stand behind what I said.

But I will point out a few "Facts"

1) I never said I felt Hussein or his followers were victims. That was YOUR words, so please do not make them sound like mine. However, most Iraqis are like the rest of the world. They lust for peace and happiness.

2) Your Words "Did we murder, kill and maim in the name of power and fortune!" Well as a matter of fact WE HAVE

3) We helped rebiuld Japan and Germany after WW2 Not because we had to but because if we did not they would have gone to the way of communism. Lets look at terrorism the same as communism. We cannot afford to look the other way.

4) The rest of it I refuse to comment on because it just looks like right wing propaganda. I will refuse to look at things just from the LEFT or the RIGHT I like solution not polution.

Bob

[Keith_Hixson]

1. I don't argue that we need to be in Iraq and should try our best to stabilize the country. But . . . . .

It was Saddam the broke the country. Robbed its wealth, and torture its people, promoted terrorism, invaded other nations. But, your overall seniments I can sympathize to some degree.


Keith

[MORTARDUDE]

The Iraqi people will be far better off when we leave than they have ever been before. And they have been there for 6,000+ years !!! That is a fact. The sad fact is that we are in one hell of a mess over here in the USA. In 2008 the country will be bankrupt for real. Illegal immigrants are flooding the borders. The "Drug War" is a total loss. The air and water is filled with poisons put there by our government.....flouride ( used by the Nazis in concentration camps in WW2 ) and chemtrails( see Asthma posts )...The "War on Terrorism" is a complete fabrication..read G*d da*n lie........except for the oil-fields part.. that is all TOO real...The Judicial system is rotten to the core from top to bottom. The education system is a terrific disgrace. How can the dropout rate be going up, with the advent of "computer learning" in the past 10 years ? Our jobs are all going overseas...( I dealt with some butt-wipes thru AOL the other day, and besides being barely able to speak English, they acted retarded.... ( no offense to those that really are ).....and were of zero help to me...The drug manufacturers are making profits that make the word "obscene" look like "small and modest" by comparison. We have veterans who fought, almost died, screwed up their family life beause of all the pressures the services demanded, and who have less benefits than motherf*cking illegal aliens. Shit..... let the Go*damn U. - fu*king - N. be the World's fu*king policeman. They are damned good at it.....NOT....

So there, tell me why we should be running around overseas...give me one good reason....just ONE....I am waiting...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am just a humble person seeking the truth. Those that wish to help are welcome.

As for those that don't.....well... Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction" said it best...


Arriving at their destination we learn their mission: to retrieve from some yuppies a mysterious briefcase belonging to Marsellus (Ving Rhames) their gangster employer. Jules takes charge and quotes the Bible, or something very like it, before shooting the ringleader.


The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.

Ezekiel 25:17 - Jules' version

[frisco-kid]

I think we do have to make the commitment to rebuild Iraq, also. And for some of the reasons that you state, but not because we were somehow wrong in overthrowing a dictatorship form of government. And the economy was part of the package, since their economy was based on whatever crumbs the dictatorship wanted to turn loose of for the populace. How do you think he had access to 3 semi-truck loads of currency from other countries, including U.S. dollars, and gold bullion to smuggle out of the country? It wasn't from spending it on his people.

As far as smashing their country, well, that comes with the territory in a war. However, alot [most?]of the country wasn't working so great to begin with. Alot of the building of the infra-structure of Iraq is building it from the ground up, not just repairing it. While Saddam was installing solid gold fixtures in his several bathrooms per house for him and his devil's spawn sons, most of the population didn't even have indoor plumbing or electricity to begin with.

But, I agree with you in that it's the right thing to do. Because it should have been figured into the projected war plan to begin with. Part of the reason stated for this invasion was to save the Iraqi people from Saddam, and to make Iraq a better place. Not to make war on the Iraqi people as a whole, or to leave them in a worse state than we found them in. We should be willing to finish what we started, and this is part of the commitment. This commitment was endorsed by a majority of our government when this started, and they should stand by it.

My take on this.

[MORTARDUDE]

From August 1980 - March 2003 Iraq was in a perpetual state of war. That alone would ruin an economy with good rulers. It was just another excuse for Saddam and his tribe to loot and scoot on a massive scale.

Larry

[HARDCORE]

"Good thoughts gents!!" But I still stand by: "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the tiime", and "Old Sad Ass Hussein", along with a sizable portion of his people, certainly did the crime(s)!!

As for rebuilding, this (not so) little project is beginning to translate from green ($$) to red (blood), and that well is not bottomless!! "Not in depth nor in tolerance!!!!"

"And for the record Bob, I don't have feathers to ruffle, only scales (Hsssss)!"

VERITAS