The Ultimate Proof Iraq Was a Mistake: It Gave Us Trump

[Nevilledog]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ultimate-proof-the-iraq-war-was-a-mistake-it-gave-us-trump

No paywall
https://archive.is/Mp8Mu

Twenty years after the United States invaded Iraq, it is worth asking whether it was the right thing to do. As someone who was passively in favor of it (I was a loyal conservative Republican, but I wasn’t a writer back then), I’m now solidly in the “no” camp for one reason: The once (and future?) presidency of Donald Trump.

I realize this sounds both partisan and crazy. Instead of questioning if it was the right thing to do, shouldn’t the question be, “Did Saddam Hussein need to be toppled?” Shouldn’t the question be, “Did Saddam have weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)—or the ability to quickly reconstitute them?” Shouldn’t the question be, “Were the Iraqi people better off being liberated from this monster?” Shouldn’t the question be, “Is our geopolitical situation more secure?”

If we evaluated the invasion using those criteria, it could conceivably be considered the right decision—even in light of the dysfunctional manner in which it played out (ultimately requiring a troop surge in 2007 to provide security and prevent a humiliating withdrawal).

Remember, George W. Bush made this decision in 2003, after the 9/11 attacks. Everyone, including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and even Joe Biden, had been making noise about toppling the “butcher of Baghdad.” Indeed, Saddam had previously used WMDs against his own people. And our most recent foray into Iraq (Operation Desert Storm) had been a walk in the park. In the heady days of 2003, it was easy to rationalize that this decision was morally correct, strategically sound, and likely to go smoothly.

It didn’t go well, and the fallout was worse than expected. And I’m not just talking about the insurgency. Not finding any WMDs resulted in faulty intel being held up as additional evidence that the so-called “experts” and elites were either incompetent, evil, or both. There is a straight line from this belief to today’s animosity directed at our intel agencies (i.e., the “deep state”).

*snip*

[Skittles]

1. they knew there were no WMD

that was just the excuse to invade

[MagickMuffin]

2. I'd like to take us back to election year 2000

The United States Supreme Court gave us bush, which turned our country on its head!

[Demsrule86]

3. No it didn't. The attacks on Hillary during the General gave us Trump...the likes of Jill Stein

and all the others who didn't vote for Hillary and essentially campaigned for Trump. Many on our side gave us Trump by not supporting Hillary. I will never forgive them.

[Model35mech]

4. hmm, I thought it gave us the 2nd Cheney administration

guess I'll have to scratch that from the thumb drive

[JI7]

5. No. RAcists and other bigots are why we got Trump and that includes those

that claim to be on the left .