Words like naive, ignorance, and assumption jump to mind while reading that statement.
Yea your comments do make me think that.
Saddam thumbed his nose at the UN for over a decade, and a few more months would have made a difference? Please. The UN is a sad joke.
As have tons of other nations, like Israel but the common thread has been a "protector" in a member with a veto vote. Now we can discuss if the UN is a "sad joke" in another thread but you should get your facts right.
Nearly half the members of the General Assembly represent nations whose governments have more in common with the Iraqi Baathist regime than with the representative-democracy of the west... and we're to consider the UN a force for good, a competent leader in diplomacy? The UN's record demonstrates no such capacity.
The General assembly have very little power in such matters and you know that. All it takes is one of the 5 powers to throw the veto card in and that is that. As for pissing up and down on every nation in the world that is in the UN.. nice job. Plus you, like many Americans, seem to forget what the UN is.. it is not a global policeman, never was, never will be under the current charter. The UN's record in taking leadership in diplomacy is limited not because of the UN, but again by the 5 veto carrying members who basically run the joint when it comes to such matters. The UN can not do jack **** if not all 5 veto members agree, and that they do rarely. And there is no requirement for democracy to be a member of the UN nore should it be, since what standards do you set.
Saddam had used WMD in the past, on the Iranians and Kurds; he had sought nuclear capacity in the past; these things are known facts. It was not an unreasonable belief that this condition was ongoing, and virtually every leader in the West proclaimed their belief of same at some point.
Yes Saddam had used WMD.. So had the Germans, French, Brits and the US. Your point being? The North Koreans have death camps where they practice infanticide. The regime in Burma and Sudan wiping out minorities left a right. There are many bad governments in the world, and it is all comes down to what litmus test you use on the respective country.
We also already knew in 1995 that the whole WMD program had been dismantled in accordance to the UN deal after the first gulf war. Why? Because the head of the program defected to the west. This little fact, was conveniently ignored by the Bush administration and the "pro war" crowd, along with a bunch other signs. Considering that the US had next to no on the ground intelligence and based everything on rumor and spy satellite information, then calling **** "slam dunk" is not only arrogant but stupid.. as we now know.
Also, you simply assume everything Saddam said is true?
I highly doubt he does, but like normal thinking people, he most likely gathered the relevant information and placed them up against each other. Things like motive of both sides, other regional factors (Iran) and historical fact. Anyone with half a brain and just basic knowledge to the area, knew that Saddam's biggest fear was not the US.. it was Iran.
But let me ask you this.. do you believe everything the Bush administration said?
As to whether it was worth it to bring democracy to Iraq, we'll have to wait a while to see if that's true, yes. Still, Saddam and the Baathists were a brutal and repressive regime who tormented their own people and threatened all their neighbors... their fall is nothing to regret. At least the US, UK and company DID something instead of doing what the UN does ( all talk but almost never any competent action. )
Yea you wasted trillions of dollars, killed almost 5000 of your own people for what? To give Iran more power? You have not implemented democracy, and everyone knows as soon as the US leaves, that the present "rulers" will either go Saddam's way or be lynched. Then there will be a civil war between tribes/sects unless they can unite and first drive the Kurds into the ground. The whole exercise has done nothing to help the Iraqies, and in reality will most likely cost more lives than Saddam every could dream of taking and in the end the Mullahs in Iran will win.
