Posted by
Mike on Thursday, September 24, 2009 3:10:44 PM
http://westernperspective.blogspot.com/
Historians are now beginning to reexamine the role of Sir Winston
Churchill in taking down the British Empire. While none of us can say
for sure what effect the Bush presidencies have or will have on
America, it is worthwhile to look at the track record.
George H.
W. Bush by all accounts got America into the first Gulf War over what
was essentially a disputed piece of real estate known as Kuwait, and
over the alleged rape of Kuwaiti women by Iraqi men. While there is no
doubt that Saddam Hussein was a mean, oppressive dictator who used
poison gas against the Kurds and his enemies in Iran, and who quelled
public dissent through torture and assassinations, was there really a
valid reason to send troops to fight against Iraq in 1990-1991?
Before
terrorism became a commonplace, household word, America had the dubious
luxury to defend the ideals of freedom throughout the world using our
military might. This essentially is what got us bogged down in an
unwinnable war in Vietnam, although there was never any serious threat
of the war spilling over onto American soil. Today, America no longer
has that luxury to go to war on behalf of Israel and other client
states. The costs are just too great.
Today, the terms
"necessary" and "discretionary" as applied to wars have become all but
obsolete, and we should stop using them. War is always a losing
proposition. There are times when a nation must take defensive action
in self-defense, or in defense of others against an aggressor. However,
the decision to go to war is never properly made as something necessary
in the sense of being determined by evolution. Man always has a choice,
and our leaders must take full responsibility when they commit our boys
and girls to fight overseas. Likewise, wars are never discretionary
in the sense that one can make a decision based upon a cost-benefit
analysis. Those who start wars as a matter of personal discretion
should be held fully accountable for all losses sustained on both sides.
So,
the question is, did George W. Bush's term of office, in which we went
to war full scale to topple Saddam, bring about better or worse results
overall for America? This question is separate from whether voters did
the right thing in electing President Bush because of his pro-life
commitment.
We have fought long enough. It is time to come home from Iraq and Afghanistan.