WMD
Hello all,
I’m going to start with an old question that just still confuses me: WMD and the justification for the Iraq war. Let me lay out the points as I understand and remember them.
1. The primary reason that the Bush administration gave for the invasion was the real threat posed to the US by The Hussein regime’s possession of weapons of mass destruction that it could use against the US and our interests/allies. The exact nature of these weapons was unknown, but chemical, biological and nuclear weapons were all considered real possibilities. Other reasons were given as well (e.g., Hussein’s well-founded reputation as a cruel dictator, the possibility of his connection to the 9/11 attackers, the continual flouting of the UN resolutions relevant to his country), but the number one reason given by the bush administration was the direct threat of WMD to us.
2. The evidence supporting the existence of WMD was mixed. Some credible intelligence groups and individuals said Hussein had them and equally credible groups and individuals said he did not.
3. The Bush administration pushed VERY hard to make the case for the existence of WMD and the need for an immediate invasion. Prior to the invasion they were (at least publicly) positive that the Hussein regime had these weapons and was prepared to use them.
4. We invaded Iraq and found no WMD. We found no evidence of a WMD program. After months of looking the US taskforce assigned to find them gave up.
5. Here’s the part that bugs me. Nobody seems to care. The President of the United States went to war based on controversial intelligence and was simply wrong. He started a long and costly war based on a colossal mistake and then we all simply moved on and seemed to forget about it. It took years for the administration to even admit there was mistake and then it was minimized and forgotten.
6. Here’s my question- Why did Americans not ask for some accountability for this? Why did we not demand some sort of explanation? Why was this error never even really discussed at a national level? We tried to impeach Nixon because he lied about his surveillance activities and was involved in various shady dealings beyond the oval office. We almost impeached Clinton because he lied to Congress about a sexual affair. Why does the Bush administration’s starting a war based on a mistake not merit the same attention?
Be brave. Be human.
-Grant
