March 1988 --- Halabja Iraq

[The Lone Liberal]

A story that might be useful. March 1988, the Iran-Iraq war raged on and Halabja, Iraq was in Iranian-held territory. That day in March, Saddam using American Helicopters dropped chemical bombs on Halabja killing 5,000 Iraqi Kurds and Iranians.

The Iranians rushed reporters to the town and the news shocked and inflamed the world. The Reagan Administration who was complicit in the act launched a “blame Iran too” campaign.

The Halabja killing was condemned throughout the world.

“According to Peter W. Galbraith, the senior adviser to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who exposed Saddam’s gassing of the Kurds, two men who were key players in the Reagan-Bush era and later became principal figures in George W. Bush’s administration helped kill the Prevention of Genocide Act, a bill that would have imposed sanctions on Iraq for its genocidal campaign. The bipartisan bill passed the Senate unanimously just one day after it was introduced. But thanks to Colin Powell and Dick Cheney, it never became law. “Secretary of State Collin Powell was then the national security adviser who orchestrated Ronald Reagan’s decision to give Hussein a pass for gassing the Kurds,” Galbraith wrote, “Dick Cheney, the prominent Republican congressman, now vice-president and the administration’s leading Iraq hawk, could have helped pass the sanctions legislation, but did not.” excerpt from House of Bush, House of Saud. Craig Unger.

What might have happened if sanctions had been placed on Hussein four or more years before he invade Kuwait. We might not be in the quagmire in which we find this nation today.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. And they used American-made choppers?

Was it back in 1995 or 1996 that there was all that speculation about whether Powell would come out as a Democrat or Republican? I always knew where he stood.

The corruption throughout the regime -- and Washington -- stinks to high heaven.