How Bush’s Iraq Fiasco ruined US Credibility and Enabled Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine

Informed Comment ^ | 02/25/2022 | JUAN COLE

[pfflier]

Biden being an idiot has nothing to do with it...blame a republican.

[jdsteel]

ABB.

Anybody but Biden.

Applies to many things.

[Political Junkie Too]

Bush filled the U.S. air waves with false assertions that Iraq had an active nuclear weapon program.

If an Iraqi "active nuclear weapon program" was a "false assertion" by President Bush, then how come four Iraqi nuclear scientists were assassinated between 2010 and 2012?

-PJ

[buckalfa]

"But it is nonsensical to say that Bush somehow made Putin’s invasion easier."

Hindsight can be cruel. Bush the Younger's invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of protecting our homeland does give Putin some cover by moral equivalence. Does it matter if the intent of America's invasion may have been nobler than Putin's? No, taking over a country and removing its leader is still an invasion.

[Eastern Shore Virginian]

Bull cookies and pin feathers! This is how lies shape the public mind.

Hussein ignored the cease fire agreement over and over. He refused to allow UN inspectors into his nuke sites. Even when time limits were ignored over and over right up to the invasion, including a 24 hours allowing Hussein to leave the country, it was HUSSEIN who chose war. Our conflict was entirely on him. Not us. Period.

[FarCenter]

I blame the Great Schism.

This is at least partly the cause. The western oblasts which are the most opposed to Russia were part of Austria-Hungary. In this part of Ukraine, a large percentage of the population are members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is in communion with the Catholic Church.

According to a 2015 survey, followers of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church make up 8.1% of the total population (excluding Crimea) and form the majority in 3 oblasts:

Lviv Oblast — 59% of the population
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast — 57%
Ternopil Oblast — 52%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Greek_Catholic_Church

[DoughtyOne]

Can this writer please remind me of what 09/11 level event Russia just experienced?

Asking for a friend.

[Wuli]

Total B.S.

There are so many differences in the causes and the intentions between the U.S. actions in Iraq and Putin’s actions against Ukraine that they do not even deserve counting, but clearly point to situations that are not analogous no matter how much Putin - and those who aid in his propaganda = want to use as excuses; and that’s all they are - excuses.

[unlearner]

“The Bush (daddy Bush) Plan for North Mexico (aka USA) has been the highest priority of BOTH parties for 30 years. They knew we would never vote to give up our sovereignty and subsume our country to the New World Order, so they set about importing people who would.”

Bush Jr. is the only president I’ve ever met. I liked him then and during his presidency. I must admit I was taken in when it comes to the issue you’re addressing.

Explains a lot about why so many of the establishment uniparty hate Trump.

What really sealed the deal in my finally recognizing Bush for what he is was when he stayed silent through ALL the usurpation of the Constitution under Obama but decided to break his silence to oppose Trump.

While Bush was much better than what we would have got with Al Gore, the right wing of the uniparty just marches us toward oblivion a little slower. In some ways it’s worse because it is the death by a thousand cuts.

[military cop]

Everyone’s fault but the douche canoe in the Oval Office, huh?

Slip away.

RLTW

[Penelope Dreadful]

Ain’t nothing but the truth, and I do not know how Bush can say that crap without choking on the hypocrisy. I voted for him twice, but nonetheless he is and was a war criminal. Bush has a lot of blood on his hands, and for far less reason than Putin does. At least Putin has a valid reason for doing what he is doing.

[Terry L Smith]

then ...im gonna say it ...shrub should become “a burning bush”!

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Juan Cole - that’s a name out of the Marxist past. Since .y computer is map of, I can’t bring up and files about him but I think he Matt have written for The Nation and even the Wash. Post, among other leftist publications.

Go to www.keywiki.org and see if there is a page on him or if he comes up in a general name search.

The same for www.DiscoverTheNetworks.org.

[Conservat1]

Biden’s Afghanistan ‘invited’ Ukraine crisis.

[Conservat1]

Great post, Marvin. Thanks.

[caww]

I recall a patio lunch with Putin and Obama....on video... Obama strutted out there like some sort of hood thug....even his head and hand motions reflected that. Putin picked up a tea cup and cookie like he couldn’t be bothered to engage Obamas theatrics. Obama talked Putin just sat there chewing his cookie as if to say let’s just get this over with punk!