When the Bush administration captured Saddam in December, they flaunted their success. Still, the attacks on U.S. troops have not stopped. The casualty list grows daily and families continue to lose their loved ones in Iraq. The Bush administration claimed the war was about WMDs, but none have been found. Meanwhile, the world dissented against the war, but Bush went to war without listening to the voice of the world. How can we preach freedom and democracy, when the U.S. government ignores protest and dissent? The war is wrong, with the reasons unknown and undercover.Saddam’s capture is a success. The brutal dictator does belong behind bars, but the war in Iraq is not over. The casualty list has exceeded well over 500 U.S. troops and thousands of innocent Iraqis. The resistance in Iraq is not dimming. Pockets of al-Qaeda members have entered the country, due to the disorder that has overtaken Iraq, making it simple for anyone to cross the border and attack U.S. troops. Meanwhile, Saddam loyalists are still lingering, firing upon troops.
The reasons that the Bush administration went to war with Iraq are still unknown. WMDs were the first reason the U.S. government used to justify the war. Bush claimed during his State of the Union speech in January 2003 that Iraq was close to acquiring nuclear weapons, if they hadn’t already. He also claimed that Hussein was getting uranium from Africa to make such deadly weapons. Then, Bush admitted that the uranium claim was false in July of 2003. Colin Powell made a case to the U.N. for war that claimed Iraq had mobile bunkers of chemical and biological weapons. However, no chemical or biological weapons were found when U.N. inspectors examined the country, or when the U.S. overtook the country. David Kay, one of the chief U.S. weapons inspectors, even admitted Saddam did not possess any weapons, nor did he have the power to begin creating such weapons. Paul O’Neil, one of Bush’s former heads of the treasury department, also claimed the evidence for war was faulty. Iraq obviously posed no threat, despite what the Bush regime claimed.
The Bush administration also claimed that Iraq had close ties to al-Qaeda and Bin Laden. However, those statements were also false. Bin Laden has always viewed Saddam as an “infidel.” Iraq had nothing to do with the horrific attacks of 9/11. The New York Times even ran a piece in December, quoting Colin Powell as saying there was no proof connecting Iraq to al-Qaeda.
Finally, after no WMDs were found and no direct link to al-Qaeda could be made, the U.S. government claimed they were “liberating and freeing” the Iraqi people. However, there are no plans to withdraw U.S. troops from the country and turn Iraq over to the Iraqis. How is the U.S. even going to manage elections, when such religious and ethnic groups despise each other in the country? Restoring order to Iraq could take months, years, and possibly even decades.
Bush sugar-coated the reasons for going to war in terms of freedom and democracy, but the voice of dissent that arose in the world and the U.S. was ignored by the U.S. government. Despite all the protests in D.C., California, and local towns across the nation, Bush only referred to such protestors as “focus groups.” Millions marched around the world, but such mas-sive dissent was disregarded by the Bush regime. Meanwhile, the list of Hollywood stars and musicians who spoke out against the war received harsh criticism from the media. So, how can democracy be preached, if it isn’t respected at home?
The Bush administration lied to the American people about the reasons for going to war. The media and U.S. government are still suffocating the truth about the war. As the war lingers on, it continues to be immoral and unjust. Meanwhile, the attacks on U.S. troops and innocent Iraqis are only continuing, and true democracy and freedom have yet to be given to the Iraqi people, who certainly deserve it. The U.S. government has achieved no victory in Iraq. They’ve created chaos, disorder, and bloodshed.