We did not join the Allied forces until after we got into the war. Saddam has made it clear time and time again that he intends to be a threat to the US. Even if I go with the assumption that averting another country's expansionism is ok, after Saddam gets nukes is too late...we won't be able to stop him without there being a ton of civilian casualties whereever he decides there should be.
True we didn't join the allies, but even before we joined them there was more justification to join them than currently exists with Iraq. Also the only things I've heard Saddam say that were threats to the U.S. were statements about what would happen if we attacked him first.
I recall him saying in the past that infidels must be punished. The entire Arab world views us as the infidels. This is not a stable guy we are talking about.
I agree with that. In fact I believe that's a huge understatement. He's a madman, dictator, greedy, cruel, etc. I would love to see Saddam out of there. I'm just not in favor of a unilateral U.S. invasion at the present time.
I can understand that sentiment. My only real problem is that after he has the nukes this will become a lot more difficult if not impossible. He has already talked about arming terrorists with chemical weapons. I fear that if we don't do something, when he does get the nukes one will end up in a briefcase in Manhattan. Be not fooled, it could easily happen. It's really too late after millions of people have been killed to start doing something about it. Not to mention what would happen to an already shaky economy.
I saw a really interesting discussion of this on The Jim McNeil News Hour the other night. They spoke with members of Congress and others close to the administration. Pretty much everyone is in agreement that Sadaam is nuts and that he needs to be removed but the debate over military action has two factors involved that are not insignificant: 1. Who will replace Sadaam? At this point, no one has a clue. There are more than half a dozen different factions throughout Iraq who all will want to stake a claim on the leadership of that country. Some have widely divergent views on how things should be. Installing a new government there will face far greater challenges than it has in Afghanistan (and that's been more than a little unstable) mainly because Iraq controls so much of the Mideast oil reserves and that means big bucks. 2. Can we afford it? This is probably the biggest concern. Our economy is struggling and the Gulf War cost $60 BILLION! However, during the Gulf War, our allies picked up nearly 75 percent of the tab. A war on the ground in Iraq has been estimated at nearly $100 BILLION! Many congressmen and women, rightly so, are VERY worried that we simply couldn't afford it. I won't argue the Sadaam is crazy part. That is a given for most. I won't argue the anti-war thing. I'm against all of it, but I know others feel like it is legitimate and that's fine. However, these two chief concerns need to be addressed and hashed out before anything is even considered.
I fear that if we don't do something, when he does get the nukes one will end up in a briefcase in Manhattan. Be not fooled, it could easily happen. Keep in mind, there's a huge step between creating a nuke that can be placed on a Scud (and hit Israel) vs creating a briefcase nuke. If Saddam were to try to launch a nuke on the US, I would think a <I>Sum of All Fears</I> scenario would be more likely, and I'm not sure he could pull it off. I think he's more likely to use a nuke as a threat to nearby US allies such as Turkey and Israel. I have no problem with an invasion of Iraq (preferably preceded by very aggressively twisting arms to get worldwide support and having a very, very clear reason to show the world), but I am a bit surprised we haven't had more success on the covert level. I mean, I know he's well-guarded and all, but with all the technology and resources we have, I would think that might be an easier alternative. It would also save us from having to help rebuild all the infrustructure we would destroy in an invasion.
I'm not willing to risk everything in hopes that he can't pull it off. The losses would be too great.
