Iraq War:10th Anniversary of the Unnecessary, Unpaid-For War

So, we've reached the 10th Anniversary of the War that was based on lies, cooked-intelligence, sold hook-line-and-sinker by the war-criminals Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfield... Unnecessary and Unpaid-for... And 58% of the American people say that it was a mistake; it was unnecessary; and they oppose it. The costs are now estimated to be up to $2 BILLION....And when the costs of providing for the Veterans, their health-care costs and care for the wounded, PTSD, TBI, and rehab costs, it's up to $6 BILLION.... A lot of money for a war that didn't have to happen, and shouldn't have happened, and that we were lied into:

Iraq War Anniversary Finds Republicans Regretful, Seeking A Path Forward

Conversations with Republican operatives at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference were reminders of how stridently Republicans treated those within their own ranks who disagreed with Bush's wars. Positions in the Bush administration, or on the Bush reelection campaign, were withheld from those who had voiced dissent.

Now, with the GOP in a moment of crisis and struggling to find a direction, condemnation of the war flows quickly and easily out of the mouths of movement leaders.

"It didn't work, ok?" veteran conservative activist Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, said in an interview. "I'm waiting for the architects of those policies to get up and say it didn't work, but it's tough to expect that because they never articulated what the hell they were doing."

"It's taken away the Republican party's historic advantage on foreign policy that dates back at least to the beginning of the Cold War," he said.

Conservatives also feel that Bush's response to 9/11 reduced the GOP's other advantage over Democrats, as the party of fiscal responsibility and limited government. The size of government grew dramatically after the attacks, as Bush created the Department of Homeland Security and opened up the government check book to an army of defense contractors. It was the biggest expansion of the federal budget since the New Deal.

"The Bush administration, whenever it saw a crisis, increased the size of government," Norquist said.

Obama has moved assertively to step into the foreign policy gap left by the GOP. He authorized the mission that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, he has prosecuted an aggressive drone strategy in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere, and his withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan has been seen as responsible leadership, and not dovish retreat.

"It has taken a generation for the American people to forgive the Democrats for being right about Vietnam. In truth a lot of the distrust of Dems was justifiable because of the way some on the anti-war left disrespected the heroes who fought that god-awful war," said veteran Democrat consultant Paul Begala. "But the left has rallied to support our troops even as it has opposed the war. So perhaps now it is the GOP who will pay a price -- and this time for being wrong."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/1 ... 97245.html



Now, HERE is one veteran that I absolutely respect and admire:

Tomas Young, Dying Iraq War Veteran, Pens 'Last Letter' To Bush, Cheney On War's 10th Anniversary
From Young's letter, published on TruthDig:

I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.

Young went on to attack the "cowardice" of Bush and Cheney for avoiding military service themselves, and to encourage them to "stand before the American public and the world, and in particular the Iraqi people, and beg for forgiveness."

(Read Young's entire letter here .)

Young spoke more about his decision in a recent interview with journalist and Iraq War critic Chris Hedges.

“I made the decision to go on hospice care, to stop feeding and fade away," he said. "This way, instead of committing the conventional suicide and I am out of the picture, people have a way to stop by or call and say their goodbyes. I felt this was a fairer way to treat people than to just go out with a note."

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the ... _20130310/


Hubris: Selling the Iraq War:
[youtube:2p9ltlsu][/youtube:2p9ltlsu]

Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War [Paperback]

So, $2 TRILLION later (with $4 TRILLION more to come), nearly 5,000 US Dead, 32,000 wounded, and roughly 132,000 Iraqi civilians dead, later... the GOTP finally figures out that they have created this albatross, and hung it around their own necks... The Neo-cons and Chicken-Hawks that "never met a war they didn't like", will likely never again sell an unnecessary war to the American people... And thank god, it's about time....

And save your crap about "yeah, well, some of the Dems voted for it too", (after being lied-to) for someone who cares... (read: "They did it too...") You guys OWN THIS ONE...

Dubya: We sure pulled one over on those idiot Dems!!!! Can you believe they fell for it hook, line and sinker? And not one hijacker came from Iraq. Those lefties are so gullible they voted to fund it, $6,600 per every man, woman, and child.

Almost as gullible as voting for a junior Senator from Illinois with no experience to run the country.

"They did it too...." ZZZZZZzzzzzzz....... :Snooze

(And who is still paying the price for their mistake?.... :rofllol )

Typical you, never blame your own idiot party members.

"W' is an idiot, but he still pulled one over on us. So who are the bigger idiots...

And who are the bigger crooks and liars?

FredHayek wrote: "W' is an idiot, but he still pulled one over on us. So who are the bigger idiots...

:rofllol

That is a self-answering question... "Hubris" answers the question of how they lied a few of the Dems into voting for it...

GOTP lies... Yep the Republicans fell for it, hook-line-sinker...49-to-1 Repubs in the Senate; 215-to-6 in the House... Who are the bigger idiots? :rofllol

And, $6 TRILLION later, nearly 5,000 US Dead, 32,000 wounded, and roughly 132,000 Iraqi civilians dead, later... the GOTP finally figures out that they have created this albatross, and hung it around their own necks... And all you've got is: "A few Dems got suckered by lies and voted for it too..."

Thanks, Fred... You're consistent...and funny...

So do you have a whole wall of your home papered with all the connecting dots on Iraq like "A Beautiful Mind"? More OCD?

And please supply your standard rambling cut and paste in response with extra smileys.

Aren't you proud, Fred? How's that "They did it too..." thing workin' out for ya?



Nah... I have the one thing you DON'T.... I have FACTS... I guess that's why 58% of the American people aren't buying the GOTeaBagger lies about it any more.

But it is gratifying to see all those REPUBLICANS admit that they screwed up, and regretting it....It just lends more truth to the whole thing. Even MORE gratifying to have Grover Norquist admit: "The Bush administration, whenever it saw a crisis, increased the size of government," Norquist said.

Interesting Fred that you condemn those who believe a lie, but not those who originated the lie. Do you also blame a woman who get's raped but not the rapist? Or the senior citizen who believes the scam, but not the scammer. I am mighty tired of the blame the victim mentality I read here on 285Bound day in and day out from some posters.

I seem to remember that in 2008 one Obama's campaign promises was to end the Iraq war and bring our troops home.
http://usliberals.about.com/od/homeland ... aIrqWr.htm

4 years later.............. one of may empty promises.