Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
I have thought about it a lot and many people hold this position, not just me. Did you miss the whole post 9-11 reassessment of the rules of engagament. I remember watching Al Franken (who supported the invasion at the time) saying that in a post 9-11 world we can't wait to be hit first. And it is not that these countrys just pose a greater danger, they have not only said they want to destroy the US, but they have taken affirmative steps in that direction.
Arrogance and ignorance: again you demonstrate why they are such an annoying combination.
|
Let me say this very slowly: if another country (let's pick one, say, Syria) is a greater threat to the US than Afghanistan, then that may be justification for invading
Syria.
It is not justification for invading
Iraq.
(Unless you go for the "bloody nose" theory, i.e., when confronted with a half dozen bullies, pick the biggest one and bloody his nose and the rest will run away. Except, well, that hasn't worked out very well. Is that what you're saying?)
Quote:
The Taliban and Saddam Hussein were heinous rulers who abused their people. From a moral perspective taking them out was a good thing for their people.
Keeping murderous thugs in power may be prudent from a national security perspective, but its pathetic to try and defend their existence from a morality perspective.
From my perspective, not attacking until you have been attacked first, in the international arean, can be and often is an immoral position. If you have the ability to stop genocide, I believe it is a moral imperative stop the genocide, regardless if the country perpetuating the genocide has attacked you.
|
If only any of that had been the justification for going into Iraq. if only it had been so clean. But it wasn't. It just wasn't. Was not.
I'm not saying that one can only attack when attacked. I'm saying that nobody disagrees that when one is striking back that one is on the high ground. In the absence of that, one better have one's ducks in a row or anticipate criticism.
