Sorry Zaro i meet a previous thread but here are the reasons why we invaded Iraq.

Why the Iraq war was necessary. Bush did what any good president would do to protect our country.

Al Quida is a Saudi based and funded organization that’s purpose was to start a fundamentalist Sunni Islamic revolution in Saudi Arabia with the purpose of overthrowing the Saudi kingdom. Just like the Shia in Iran did.
To achieve this goal Ben Laudin started attacking American targets. First they attacked the American embassies in Africa. When the U.S. did nothing Al Quida got stronger claiming that the U.S. was a paper tiger and afraid of losing a solider. By the time the Cole was attacked and again we did nothing and Al Quida was now very popular in the Middle East. Al Quida was now an army and well funded by private Saudi citizens. The revolution was getting closer.
The purpose of 9/11 was to start the revolution in Saudi Arabia. But Bin Laudin made a mistake, Clinton was gone and Bush was president.
First thing Bush has to do was take out Al Quida’s army and those that harbored them ASAP. He needed to show the Arab world that you don’t mess with the US. If he delayed he risked an uprising in not only Saudi Arabia but all of the Middle East.
Because it takes several months to mobilize our army he sent in our special forces. Working with the Northern alliance in Afghanistan they quickly overran both al Quida and the Taliban, showing the might and power of the United States. This move brought the Middle East to a halt as everyone there was awed by our power.
A decision was made that was very important to the well being of both Saudi Arabia and the Middle East when we had Bin Laudin trapped in the caves of Bora Bora. If he was killed he would become a martyr and that could start the uprising. If he was captured he would become a martyr and that could start the uprising. Bin laudin was let go on purpose so that he would become isolated and inept, and over time irrelevant in the Middle East. As he is now.
Bush has another problem; while he defeated the army of Al Quida the organization was still very strong in Saudi Arabia. The revolution was very close to happening. The Saudi king was weak and afraid of taking on Al Quida and would not act against them within his own country. Bush had to both force Saudi Arabia to act against Al Quida and be able to back up the Saudis in case Al Quida overwhelmed the Saudi army.
75% of the reason why Bush invaded Iraq was to put our army on the border of Saudi Arabia both to back up the Saudis and force them to take out Al Quida and those that where funding Al Quida within its borders.
The other reasons why we invaded Iraq was that Iraq was destabilizing the Middle East. After starting several wars and with his crazy sons set to inherit the throne, no private business investment was being invested in the Middle East. With the highest birth rate in the world and most of the oil money staying within the ruling elite there was massive unemployment and lots and lots of angry unemployed young men just waiting to be recruited to kill the evil westerners whose lifestyle they envied.
Sadam was also making a mockery out of the US with the big oil for food scam. The UN and Kopi Annin was so corrupt that Kopi Amin was making the UN almost non functional. Bush needed to expose the very corrupt UN and get that organization functioning again.
Bush also needed to show the world that anyone who messes with the US has to risk the might of the US Army.
As far as WMDs Sadam made a point of letting the world know he had them. He did this because in his weakened state he was terrified of Iran invading him. By making Iran and the world believe he had WMDs he was trying to scare Iran to the point that they would not invade.
Why did Bush use WMDs as the excuse to invade Iraq instead of telling the truth? Because the American press needs everything encapsulated in a 30 second spot. If it can’t be explained in 30 seconds it’s not going to run on the evening news. Something as complicated as the real reasons for invading Iraq would never have been broadcast on the evening news. WMD is very catchy marketing slogan runs in 30 seconds and everyone thought it was foolproof.
The results of the Iraq invasion is that Saudi Arabia was forced to take on al Quida and has successfully destroyed the organization within its borders. The corruption within the UN was exposed and it has since cleaned up its act. Business is now booming in the Middle East. Those angry young men are now employed and have a future.
Now just think what would have happened if Bush didn’t invade Iraq. Al Quida would have risen up against the Saudi government and with all that oil money would have formed a massive and well armed army. With control of the Saudi oil and the Straights of Hormuz the western would have been held hostage. The US economy would have come to a grinding halt and life as we know it would be drastically changed for the worst.
Worst yet is Al Quida is a Sunni organization. The other fundamentalist Islamic government and arch enemy of Saudi Arabia is Iran which is Shia. Sunnis and Shia hate each other, and I would bet that if we did not invade Iraq there would be a war between Saudi Arabia controlled by Al Quida and Iran. This of course inflamed the entire Middle East and probably led to a region wide war.
Nice to have a president that does what he has to do to protect our country.

"Nice to have a president that does what he has to do to protect our country."

Pure garbage. That's what your post is... pure garbage. You can lie all you want to in a feeble effort to rationalize or justify Bush's blunders, but the American people are not as stupid as you seem to think they are. We know why we invaded Iraq. We remember all of Bush's claims, that turned out to be 100% false. We remember why Congress authorized the war.

We also have read all the reports from our own intelligence agencies that have concluded that Bush's needless war in Iraq has made America less safe. We also know the Iraq war has allowed Iran to grow in influence in the region. We also know we have a mess, virtually an unattended mess in Afghanistan, that the next president will have to clean up for Bush.

You can re-write history all you want, distort the facts, spread lies, and create new claims. You can succeed at that, but you'll fail in any attempt to get anyone to believe your garbage.

Correction: There is no reason for YOU to vote for him. As for me and many others, I'll take a strong defense over appeasement and surrender anyday.

As for the rest of your post: idle opinion.

Actually, I completely agree with the statement. A strong defense and a commander-in-chief willing to do what is necessary to maintain our safety and our liberty is refreshing. But hey, um, 142 days in Congress and that "community organizing" thing are kinda cool too.

During a recent appearance in Columbus, Ohio, John McCain made the claim he "believes the Iraq war can be won within four years." That simple claim creates the necessity to explore multiple issues, and there are obvious factual observations to explore.

In making that statement, John McCain supported his claim with no facts. He didn't indicate there was even one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that agreed with his claim. He made no indication that he'd arrived at that assessment after consulting with any military leadership. He failed to provide any details indicating the Iraqi government supports his latest claim. But most importantly, he offered no plan on how he would accomplish his latest claim. He simply made his claim, hoping it sounds good enough on the surface that he won't have to flesh it out with pesky details.

If his latest claim actually turned out to be accurate, then that would mean the greatest military force the world has ever seen would have spent ten years at war with a small country with little military muscle. That's seven years longer than it took to win WW II and it was fought against two major military powers on multiple fronts around the planet, in the air, on the ground, and at sea.

John McCain also omitted any discussion about the costs of continuing this needless war for four more years. It's unlikely that this war will cost less to wage, but assuming it doesn't exceed the current spending levels that would mean John McCain is willing to dump another $624 billion into this quagmire. That's money that won't get spent on America's needs at home, instead he's more than willing, and eager to channel it into a four year continuance of a needless war. The shameful side of his claim also wasn't discussed by McCain. He didn't mention his willingness to allow more American's to die for George W. Bush's mistake. That was left unsaid.

John McCain just issued a claim. No plan accompanied his claim. No facts were offered to support his claim. He just made his claim and hoped that would be enough.

But John McCain has another problem with his latest claim. He's made claims before. He's made lots of claims about Iraq that are verifiable, and were public. He has a problem with his latest claim, and that issue is the fact that John McCain has no credibility left in discussing Iraq. You'd have to look long and hard to find any individuals with less credibility on the Iraq war than George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and John McCain. The problem with McCain's latest claim is his record on previous claims about Iraq. He would like to project the image that he has superior knowledge about this needless war and it's a cornerstone of his presidential campaign.

John McCain has a problem. He has a record on Iraq. He has a record he can be, and should be judged by.

John McCain has repeatedly confused Sunni and (*)(*)(*)(*)e religious sects, revealing a stunning ignorance for a senator who claims to be the sole possessor of superior knowledge and judgment regarding U.S. involvement in Iraq. Frankly, McCain has an astonishing record of inaccurate assessments and poor predictions about Bush’s needless war in Iraq. From his nonsensical assessment of the security of Baghdad to his assertions of political progress in Iraq, which even the top U.S. commander in that country contradicts, McCain has a (*)(*)(*)(*)ing history of being wrong on Iraq.

McCain said the war in Iraq would be “One of the best things that’s happened to America.” While appearing on NBC’s Meet The Press, McCain said, “We’re going to be all right. We’re going to prevail and we will win and it’ll be one of the best things that’s happened to America and the world in a long time ‘cause it’ll reverberate throughout the Middle East.” (March 3, 2003)

Five years later, 4,100+ dead Americans, $3 trillion spent and no “reverberation”, this is “one of the best things that have happened to America”?

McCain predicted “Great Joy and Pleasure in Iraq”. While appearing on NBC’s Meet The Press, McCain said, “I believe that these people have the same yearnings for freedom and democracy and independence and self-determination that every person on earth does, and once this Gestapo is off of their backs, then I think you will see great joy and pleasure that we were able to free them and that will not come until they are sure that they don’t have Saddam Hussein returning again.” (March 30, 2003)

Five years later, 4,100+ dead Americans, $3 trillion spent and where’s the “great joy and pleasure” in Iraq” Instead, we’re battling insurgents, that’s Iraqi citizens, that seem to be annoyed with an invasion and prospect of a 100+ year occupation.

McCain said Bush led with “clarity and did not exaggerate the case for war”. In 2003, McCain praised George W. Bush’s leadership on the Iraq war saying, “I think the president has led with great clarity and I think he’s done a great job leading the country, don’t you all?” And asked if he thought the president exaggerated the case for war, McCain said, “I don’t think so.” (MsNBC Hardball, April 4, 2003 / Fox News July 31, 2003)

Five years later, 4,100+ dead Americans, $3 trillion spent, no weapons of mass destruction in 200 known sites, no nuclear threat, no clear and present danger to America, in fact 100% of Bush’s claims used as sole justification for starting his needless war turned out to 100% false, and McCain says “no exaggeration”.

McCain said that disarming Iraq would, “Significantly Improve the Stability of The Region.” In a 2003 New York Times op-ed, McCain wrote, “Many critics suggest that disarming Iraq through regime change would not result in an improved peace. There are risks in this endeavor, to be sure. But no one can plausible argue that ridding the world of Saddam Hussein will not significantly improve the stability of the region and the security of American interests and values. (March 13, 2003)

Five years later, 4,100+ dead Americans, $3 trillion spent, and no “stability in the region”. We don’t even have “stability in Iraq”. We don’t even have “stability” in Baghdad. We don’t even have “stability” in the Green Zone. Then there’s the issue of Bush’s needless war enhancing Iran’s influence in the region to a point where the Republicans are contemplating starting yet another war they can lose.

McCain predicted “Jubilant Iraqis Would Diminish Anti-American Sentiment in The Middle East.” In the build up to the Iraq war, McCain stated that it is “more likely that antipathy toward the United States in the Islamic world might diminish amid the demonstrations of jubilant Iraqis celebrating the end of a regime that has fee equals in its ruthlessness. (American Conservative Magazine, February 11, 2003)

Five years later, 4,100+ dead Americans, $3 trillion spent and no “jubilant Iraqis” The reality is, Bush’s blunder in strategy allowed a civil war to erupt. The fact is, anti-American sentiment in the Middle East has swelled the ranks of al-Qaeda as a great recruiting tool. The fact is, all of our own intelligence agencies are on the record in stating the Iraq war has made America less safe. In the face of this evidence, McCain wants to continue this mistake for 100+ years.

Repeatedly, McCain Claimed The United States Would Win Easily in Iraq. In 2002 and 2003, before the invasion, McCain repeatedly claimed success in Iraq would be easy and minimized potential risks. According to CNN, McCain stated, “Because I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.” (March 17, 2003)

Five years later, 4,100+ dead Americans, $3 trillion spent, a civil war in progress, tens of thousands more troops and this is “easy”? It was “easier” and faster to defeat the Germans and Japanese in WW II than to just create order in Iraq. It was so “easy” McCain now thinks we should still be working on it for 100+ years.

When it comes to Iraq, a cornerstone to his bid to become president, John McCain has a record we can view and judge him by. He’s been consistent. He’s been consistently wrong. He’s been wrong, dead wrong. He was wrong then. He’s wrong now. His claims are not subject to spin. They’re documented and reveal the danger of allowing anyone so consistently wrong the opportunity to make the mess he helped create, get worse.

When it comes to credibility, John McCain is bankrupt. He’s spent and squandered any credibility he once had in his blind allegiance to George W. Bush. There is zero reason to accept any of his assessments, including his latest one, as having any basis in fact or truth. Obviously that won’t stop him from making more claims, but his own record of previous inaccurate claims should disqualify any credibility from being attached to them.

John McCain, who has been consistently wrong, is wrong for America. His own well established record proves that beyond any doubt.

What you don't get is: As tough as this war has been, conservatives still admire his steadfastness, his commitment to the big picture. Every life lost is precious and he (like many more of us) thank the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but he knows it is necessary in a time of war to perservere. Your facts and figures are truly impressive - staggering. Hopefully the US military will achieve victory very soon. But if not, count me as one of the proud Americans who sees the global calamity that surrender would bring and one who refuses to choose that option.

So how do you "surrender" to a military you've already defeated? Remember "Mission Accomplished'?

You mean the banner produced by the US Navy to commemorate the completion of the USS Lincoln's deployment? Yes, I remember. What about it?


http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/....accomplished/


White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the speech, Navy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a "Mission Accomplished" banner, and the White House agreed to create it.

"We took care of the production of it," McClellan said. "We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up."

1. He's never been in a political corruption scandal. McCain has. -Tony Rezko

2. He's not a third term for the disastrous Bush polices. McCain is.Obama's Iraq plan becomes more like the current plan day by day. And why not the current plan is working

3. His wife isn't a drug addict. McCain's wife is. - Says more about you than him

4. His wife isn't a thief. McCain's wife is.Says more about you than him

5. He's never had any "senior moments". McCain does. 57 States not counting Alaska and Hawaii

6. He doesn't want to keep us in Iraq for 100+ years. McCain does. Wants to keep an unspecified amount of troops in Iraq to fight AQ for an unspecified amount of time

7. He doesn't have years of wrong and stupid claims about Iraq. McCain does.I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse,"

8. He's never been accused of having an irrational hot temper. McCain has. no he just drags fellow senators into a corner and threatens them. He is too cold and heartless to have a temper

9. He's never had a terrorist working as a fund raiser. McCain has. Bill Ayers

11. He knows the difference between al-Qaeda and insurgents. McCain doesn't.What difference Al-Qaeda was and still is trying to put together an insurgency plenty of insurgencies had foreign interests organizing them. South East Asia comes to mind. Thank you for showing your ignorance.

12. He isn't boring. McCain is.Thats why McCain has been on so many news shows he is boring

13. He doesn't have a bad comb-over. McCain does.Black people cant have a comb over I expect one day he will simply be bald

14. He doesn't have lobbyists running his campaign. McCain does. David Axelrod

15. He doesn't have this guy working in his campaign. McCain does.Funny considering how many of Obamas supporters and campaign workers suddenly became people that they weren’t' when Obama knew them

__________________
Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

“Bush stated at the time that this was the end to major combat operations in Iraq.” Bush also said in his speech, "In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Accomplished

One more time, how do you "surrender" to a military force you've already defeated?