[Grovenet] The Iraqi View

[Steele, Mike]

I would add to the comparison here that we were not in Japan and Germany
based on a lie about the potential threat they posed.

--Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of Ron D'Eau Claire
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 8:51 AM
To: 'Forest Grove local interests list'
Subject: [Grovenet] The Iraqi View

Since whether we and the Brits remain a physical presence in Iraq is
quickly
shifting from a military/political decision to a public decision,
perhaps
this poll was inevitable. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/10_09_07_iraqpollaug2007_full
.pdf

Or 

http://tinyurl.com/yqmr7r

As you might guess, it says that in broad terms the Iraqi people
interviewed
say they are worse off now than before we invaded. 

I'm no fan of this "war" but I bet a similar poll asked in Germany in
1945
would have yielded the same results. 

Even so, we didn't leave Germany or Japan in 1945. We stayed on for
decades,
helping build a stable, successful economy in each country, spending
huge
amounts of money both in material and personnel. Does whether one thinks
our
invasion of Iraq was justified determine the nature of our obligation to
the
people of Iraq? Do we want to see a more prosperous, more stable and
safer
society emerge from the bloodbath? 

Or has the United States changed? Do we no longer accept responsibility
for
our actions? 

For nearly eight years I've watched the Republican party take the blame
for
the mess in Iraq. A few years ago the Democratic party gained control of
Congress. Now it looks like the Democrats will gain control of both
Congress
and the White House next year. 

I wonder what they will do? 

Will they say "too bad, so sad" and walk away from Iraq? 

Is that the sort of thing the United States of the 21st Century does? 

Ron D'Eau Claire 
 


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