Iraq War
[The views written below are based on the assumption that the Iraq war is still in progress in 2008. This is being written in early November of 2006. Next week are the mid term elections. The Democrats may be taking over the House of Representatives and even possibly the Senate. The rules concerning the Iraq war may change if that occurs. Nevertheless, here are my views.]
I have to say that I am amazed at how patient the American Taxpayers have been concerning this "war". Despite what has turned into a mess in Iraq the American Taxpayers have been willing to give President Bush the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe it's because we have all been conditioned to believe that we are really doing a good thing for the Iraqi people. Maybe it's because we feel guilty about causing all of this (when in fact we were just trusting the decisions of our leaders). Maybe it's because our complaints to our leaders over the last 30 years have gotten us nowhere so we've given up telling them what we want.
Whatever the case, I think that it is safe to say that we have all had just about enough - even those of us who voted for President Bush. All of the polls that I have seen conclude that the great majority of the people consider this "war" to be a quagmire and want out. Almost to a person, everyone that I have talked to agrees that we should leave Iraq.
So what is the problem? Isn't the U.S. government a government of the people? If the majority want out, why aren't we out? The problem is very simple. It is the same problem that persists in Washington on a perpetual basis. The problem is that our president and our elected representatives are not listening to the American Taxpayers because they think that they know what's best for us.
These days we have all been conditioned to follow our leaders and not rebel even if they lead us down a path that we don't have a good feeling about. That should be an alarm to all of us in this great democracy (don't ever forget that a democracy is a government of the people - like the one we are trying to force on the Muslims in Iraq). Right or wrong, in the United States of America the will of the people should rule.
The disconnect between the leaders and the American Taxpayers is what is causing so many to be cynical and suspicious these days as hard working American Taxpayers watch their children go off to die for a cause that none of us is really sure about. Government of the people, by the people and for the people just doesn't have the same ring now days because people know that in the real world our leaders are not listening - even to the point of sending the children of the American Taxpayers off to give their lives for questionable causes while going through billions of tax dollars along the way. And still they are not listening.
Go back with me if you will to the months before the Iraq war began. If you remember, President Bush was backing Saddam Hussein into a corner with those United Nation resolutions that he refused to comply with. There were warnings of hidden chemical weapons, missiles aimed at Israel and even the possibility of a nuclear weapon's program. We were also warned about genocidal attacks against his own people, the brutality of his sons, reports of gruesome torture, and future aggressions against his neighbors.
The way we saw it from the other side of the world there were plenty of reasons to take this "out of control" dictator out. I think that it is fair to say that the majority of the American Taxpayers were behind the president as he made his case for attacking Iraq to depose Saddam. So, with the consent of the Congress, President Bush sent our military over to the Middle East to take him out. We all accepted what our leaders wanted to do and I personally had no problem with their plan as this brash, over confident knucklehead seemed like he was just asking to be confronted (remember the arrogant phrase "The Mother of all Wars"?).
Here's the problem that I have with what we were told back then and this has haunted me this whole time. As the Bush administration was selling the war to the American Taxpayers I don't remember anyone telling us, "Oh, and by the way we are also going to stay there for a few years and build a democracy!"
Does anybody out there remember that part of the deal? Did I miss that part? Maybe I just forgot about it. Maybe I was in the bathroom when they announced that. Being a Viet Nam era veteran I tend to keep up on wars that our leaders send our young men off to and I think that I would have remembered that if I would have heard it.
I don't remember the Congress debating it, do you? Surely our elected representatives would have been concerned about that since everyone knows that building a democracy is a long term undertaking. I was assuming that when we were done with Saddam we would pack up and go home and let the Iraqi's sort out their own problems and their own future. But in the words of that world renown philosopher Cosmo Kramer, "Never assume anything!"
The idea of building an American style democracy based on a constitutional form of government with equality for all religions in a country on Muslim holy land is bizarre to say the least and is based on a complete misunderstanding of how Islam works. I suppose that the Bush administration figured that since Iraq had reportedly been somewhat secularized (at least at the higher levels) there would be little resistance to an attempt to democratize the nation. I'm just guessing that - I don't know it for a fact.
I would have thought that someone in the Bush administration would have had at least a basic understanding of the religion of Islam or that the president would have at least consulted with someone knowledgeable on the subject before he would attempt such a move. Fifteen hundred years of history should make it clear to us "infidels" that religion and politics go hand in hand in Islam. They want their religion and their politics served on the same plate. That's just how it is and it doesn't matter what Christians on the other side of the world think about it.
History should also be a warning to us that the Muslims want Christians to leave them alone and let them live how they want. These people take their religion serious and are willing to die for it (in case you haven't noticed). Whether or not we agree or disagree with their religion doesn't even matter. Who are we to tell those people what form of government they should have?
Suppose that President Bush was indeed aware of how Islam works in regard to mixing religion and politics. I'm not going to speculate publicly on ulterior motives that he might have had concerning going into Iraq but I am suspicious on several accounts since I personally believe that he is not stupid, but knew exactly what he was doing. He took a big gamble and it didn't pay off.
In hindsight I think we can all agree that Muslims in the Middle East don't want us on their land, don't want our form of government and will respond with violence to the death if we pick a fight with them. They could never win a real war against us (since our military doesn't back down from anybody and knows how to use their technologically superior weapons to perfection, not to mention that we could flatten the whole Middle east in an hour if we chose to) but they have proven that they can sure make life miserable for those who mess with them.
At this time it would probably be a good idea if we all got down on our knees and thanked God that they don't have the weapons and technology that we have. If they did they would be sure to use them to defend themselves and in their quest for Islamic world domination. We would surely be their first target since we are the world promoters of everything that they hate.
So now that we have that hornet's nest all stirred up over there, what are we going to do about it? If you haven't figured it out yet, let me assure you that "staying the course" is as bad a policy as the one that got us in there in the first place and will keep us bogged down over there for many more years. Nevertheless, as your new president I will be turning this matter over to the American Taxpayers via the "Meet and Vote" program.
Since it is your children over there trying to force Americanism on all of those "insurgents" and "terrorists" (as we call them) and since it is your hard earned tax dollars paying for it all, I am not going to force my will on you. If the American Taxpayers want to "stay the course" then that is what we will do. As for me I have to sleep at night and keep a clear conscience, not to mention that I don't want the innocent blood of even one of your children on my hands. The matter will be decided by vote using the "Meet and Vote" program.
We will meet concerning this issue on national television, which will be standard "Meet and Vote" policy, so that all American Taxpayers can get a chance to be educated on the latest from Iraq. In an attempt to properly inform the public I will bring randomly picked troops home to address the American Taxpayers on the television programs set aside for this purpose. I'm talking about the guys that are on the front lines and that live it from day to day.
Some may be enlisted men and some may be junior officers. Under oath they will be forced to tell the truth to the American public about the morale of the troops, what the common people in Iraq really think about the American occupation and generally what is really going on over there. I will also ask the elected leaders of Iraq to come and speak to the American Taxpayers so that everyone can hear their side of the story. They will be welcome to bring their religious leaders and I will guarantee that they are shown proper respect.
Ranking Democrats and Republicans will be allowed to address the people and ask questions of the featured speakers - as will the live audience of American Taxpayers. You get the idea, I want the American Taxpayers to hear first hand about what is going on so that they can vote properly when it comes time to. After all is said and done (probably two or three evenings of meetings) the American Taxpayers will be given their options to vote on. These may include "staying the course", leaving immediately, and a gradual withdrawal of troops. Other options suggested by your elected representatives will be allowed also.
The voters will vote on the issue the next day and the majority will rule. We will have to live with that decision since that is the will of the people. We can settle this issue in a week and turn our national attention to other issues that the American Taxpayers want settled. First up after this issue is settled will be the "War on Terror". It will be settled in a similar matter. [See "War on Terror" in Index 2.]
President Bush has had a pretty good run except for this catastrophe in Iraq. If we would have left Iraq as soon as we had deposed Saddam Hussein he would have been a big hero to the Iraqi's and would have earned a big approval rating amongst the American public. That's for sure. Now I doubt that his legacy will be very bright since he refused to heed the desires of the American Taxpayers.
Isn't it odd and quite the contradiction - that all of this time he has been trying to force a democracy on those people over there (which is a contradiction in terms on it's own) and yet he hasn't been willing to listen to the majority of his own people who want our troops home?
Surely the Iraq campaign has been a disaster and it probably would have been better if we had left well enough alone. If the truth be told Saddam Hussein had no means of attacking us (and Israel can take care of themselves, that's for sure). Concentrating on Afghanistan would have probably yielded up all of the leaders of Al Quiada by now. So much for hindsight which is always 20/20. But this is our chance to reflect and see what lessons we can learn from our mistakes.
Isn't it important that we learn from our mistakes in life? Won't we repeat them if we refuse to learn? The obvious lesson is that we should leave the Muslims alone so that they can live as they really choose. I bet that they would be glad to sell us all of the oil that we need if we would just get off of their land and leave them alone. Our presence over there is like a constant thorn in their side.
As Americans we can't relate to the "holy land" mentality - but I think that we are starting to get the idea! Another lesson might be that a basic understanding of Islam explains why those people typically end up with some sort of authoritarian rule. It just happens naturally and it is not the responsibility of the American Taxpayers to right every perceived wrong in this big, complex world. They have been doing their thing over there for long before we were a nation so let's not pretend that Americanizing them is a good idea.
They are not Americans and they don't want to be Christianized, democratized or westernized by people that they perceive to be "pagans", infidels and at odds with their God. But there is a deeper lesson to be learned in the midst of all of this, at least for me - your next president. When your average American Taxpayer makes a mistake in life the ramifications are usually not on a world wide scale. Running over little Billy's bike with the car or paying a bill late isn't the end of the world.
However, when the president of a nation makes a mistake, and they all do, a big piece of humble pie will keep the damage to a minimum. Refusing it may disrupt the world and cause people to die, especially if you are the leader of the world's only super power. I'll keep that in mind when I take the White House in 2008. I guess a final judgment of this whole mess should be reserved for God since He sees and knows the complete story.
After watching this play out over the last five years I will be glad to turn decisions like this over to the American Taxpayers so that I can sleep at night. [To understand how I will govern please read about the "Meet and Vote" program. Using this program and allowing the people to decide many of the issues that they want a say so in can be considered the "platform" of this presidential campaign. It can be found in Index 1 - Agenda. The issues that the American Taxpayers will have a chance to decide are found in Index 2 - Issues.]
[If the Iraq war is still in progress in 2008 when I take the White House it will be the first issue to be addressed using the "Meet and Vote" program. The issue will be settled quickly and efficiently.]
[See also "War on Terror" for more concerning "President Tony's" long term solution to solving the terror problem. You can find it in Index 2 - Issues.]
| INDEX 1 - AGENDA | INDEX 2 - ISSUES |
