Uh, no.
I gotta agree. The greatest threat to Western Civilization is not the Baath party. It's radical islam. And who were the two greatest enemies of radical islam in the region? The Shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein.
Jimmy Carter got rid of the first one. Bush II got rid of the second one. Bid Laden could not have asked for more.
Uh, yes.
The Iraqi war stopped the oil for food program and smuggling of Iraqi oil which was being used to manipulate the price of oil and thus the world economy.
The recession Bush inherited from Clinton was a direct result of the OFF program and the smuggling of Iraqi oil being used to drive the price of oil so low the oil producing countries around the world were running out of money and oil companies weren’t spending.
Millions of stripper wells in this country were also shut in because it cost more to produce the oil then you got paid for it.
In the US, hundreds of thousands of oilfield related jobs were lost and millions in royalty payments to land owners dried up.
The 9/11 attack was an attack against the US economy.
There was an orchestrated recession then the 9/11 attack, so it was intended as a 1-2 punch against the US economy.
Several month prior to the 9/11 attack SH made a comment to the effect America would soon be hit in it’s sore arm.
He was making a reference to the US economy.
SH played a very significant role in the preparations for the 9/11 attack.
The families of those who lost loved ones or had them seriously maimed desperately desire that the Iraq War be worth it. Why? It cuts the pain just a bit, because then they can see some national objective have truly been accomplished.
There were some things accomplished: ouster of Saddam, search for WMDs, decimation of terrorism operating out of Iraq.
However, all of those things were accomplished within about the first one or two years.
So, in retrospect one can agree with the hit on Iraq and the ouster of Saddam, but not on the lengthy “nation building.”
The US really needs to get out of the business of nation building and stick to very simple retaliation when someone attacks us.
In my opinion, the presence of US forces in a pincer-like posture around Iran has been worth it. This includes Afghanistan.
We eliminated Saddam Hussein, stopping a major financier of terrorism, we helped/helping reconstitute its armed forces as a defense against Iran, and have demonstrated resolve through the force of arms.
Nobody truly wins a war, due to the cost of lives and property. However, we changed the global battlefield.
Not only have we militarily stressed Iran, we have also been conducting operations against Pakistan. Though a titular ally, their government and ISI are well aware of our ability to strike with impunity.
In my opinion, our military presence gives pause to those in the region who would do us, or Israel harm. Our ability to project power and control territory are essential deterrents.
For the record, I lost 3 friends in Iraq, and another lost half an arm.
lets see , a ~ trillion $$$, thousands of US lives, Obama gets elected with Dem congress and as POTUS passes O-care, gays in military, amnesty is coming, and we got no bases there to use against Iran and we got no oil from it, contrary to a certain VP's promises on TV.
And voters will trust Dems on war issues for a decade or more.
And we got lots of wounded and sick vets with funding being cut,
I would say I am with you as a NO