Thoughts on the war
With the combat stages of the Gulf War II now virtually over and the rebuilding/reenvisioning process begun, I’d like to offer a few thoughts about this conflict and the lessons it’s taught me.
History will call this war just. Time can only reveal more horrific atrocities committed by the regime of Saddam Hussein. His was a government that did not deserve to rule. He was a man that deserved to die for his crimes–and likely has.
Cynics, whiners, antiwar protesters and anti-American reactionaries have crowed endlessly about how this was not a war of liberation. I agree, but only to a degree. It was not a war only of liberation, but also one of self-interest. What the aforementioned motley crew cannot seem to fathom is that in the world of realpolitik, the cold facts of national self-interest and the warm, fuzzy facts of humanitarian interest can be married in a single objective. Here is a perfect example of such a union. To point to other repressive regimes around the world and ask why we have not ousted their governments is to deny the true nature of the way politics is practiced. It is naive.
I have also learned something about Europe in the course of this debate. Europe, masquerading throughout the war as the arbiters of morality, behaved like selfish 10 year-olds. Their interests were not humane. Their goal was not the enforcement of international law. Their motivations were selfish, pure and simple. Germany: Schroeder wants to win an election, so he opposes the war. France: Chirac is bosom buddies with Saddam and wants to protect tens of billions of economic interests in Iraq, so he opposes the war. Russia: Putin gets intel from Iraq, plus he’s got economic interests there too. That, my friends, is selfishness.
History will call this war just. It was a military campaign beyond compare. All of the worrywarts and lefties in the media are eating crow as I write this. They had the gall to declare that the U.S. military campaign was “failing” (hahah, bye bye Peter Arnett!) when we paused outside Baghdad. And let me toss out a number: 73 percent. That’s Dubya’s approval rating.
Sorry kids, but video of jubilant Iraqis doesn’t lie. Put that in your peace pipe and smoke it.
>> This is how 50 Cent saw the war.
