Did you think that going to Iraq was the right thing to do in 2003?

[dhinojosa]

Please be honest since this is an anonymous poll:

In March 2003, did you think the Iraq war was the right thing to do? and do you now think the same way? or have you changed your mind?

[aden_nak]

1. On 9/13/01, I said to my friends, "He's gonna go to Iraq with this."

They all gave me dirty looks. I told them I didn't WANT to think it, but I knew it was true. They remember now.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I said that too....way before 2003 invasion.

[dhinojosa]

4. It almost seems transparent now....

All I thought at the time was that Bush was going to fuck it all up. But those that know Bush, already knew that.

[Jokerman]

3. I have been against every military action in my lifetime...

Iraq (I & II)
Afghanistan
Panama
Grenada
Vietnam...

[dhinojosa]

8. Afghanistan too?

Interesting, out of those that you listed I supported Afghanistan. I just thought with our latest technology we can get the bad guys without hurting the good people, get bin Laden, give tons of aid to the afghanis, and get out. I was not expecting this long extracted nightmare.

[Jokerman]

12. Yes, Afghanistan Too.

The people of Afghanistan did not attack us, and by invading their country we create more terrorists than we capture or kill.

[AntiCoup2K4]

21. Afghanistan was not about Bin Laden

In fact, it was never proven that he was even there in 2001. The plans to bomb and invade Afghanistan were on Chimpy's desk months before 9-11-01, and the reason for the invasion was to punish the Taliban for stalling on the Caspian Sea (UNOCAL) pipeline project, which they signed a deal to do in Texas in 1997. The Bush Fraudministration was paying the Taliban as recently as April 2001 when they recieved $43 million. At this point they were warned "either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs"

[marmar]

5. It was rather obvious what it was all about...

from the beginning. I never believed the WMDS crap, and if anything, it's made me more skeptical about 9/11 being a totally surprise attack.

[bluestateguy]

6. I opposed this war before it started

and I have never felt more vindicated than I do now becuase of it.

My father supported the war 2 years ago (he's kind of a Scoop Jackson Democrat), and now conceds that it was a fraud and a mistake.

I have also noticed a palpable change from my students: two years ago they were practically chomping at the bit for war, and now there is a consensus of anti-war sentiment in my classes.

[dhinojosa]

9. You teach in college, highschool, or grade school? nt

[bluestateguy]

10. University

Two colleges and one JC.

[justinsb]

7. I thought it was the wrong thing to do way back in 91 n/t

[Stepup2]

11. I made four predictions when he was selected

1. We would be at war in the middle east within a few years

2. The economy would tank.

3. gas prices would soar.

4 The matrix of pretzel logic speak would dominate the airwaves, further dividing people from one another and the truth.

[dhinojosa]

16. So did the onion....check this out...

http://chak.org/pages/onion/bush_nightmare.html

[FrenchieCat]

13. Hell, I thought it was wrong in 2002!

and marched against it then...and then later.

Not only was it wrong....it was totally a stupid thing to do!

[aden_nak]

14. In 91, I wasn't old enough to properly understand.

I was in grade school, and there, everything was "Ra Ra Ra War!" Saddam Hussein was the most evil guy on the planet, our leaders were all 100% right and our soldiers were doing nothing but good and never letting any innocent civilians get hurt because that's what their orders told them to do. . . in a lot of ways, being 12 years old was a lot like being an adult Republican.

I personally believe we SHOULD have gone to Afghanistan. I think we should have done a hell of a lot better job than we did. In fact, I think if we had real leaders and real strategic planners, Afghanistan could have worked its way into becoming what we're pretending Iraq is now. It could have been a success story. It is a place where most of the people were genuinely unhappy with their government, and where there was a substantial rebellion already fighting.

I didn't want to go into Afghanistan to "kick some ass". I wanted to go there to dismantle the Taliban, to dismantle al-Queda. . . reasons that whether or not you accept LIHOP or MIHOP would still have been worthy causes. The fact is that even if al-Queda gets its funding from the Saudis and even if bin Laden is, in the worst case scenario, a CIA opperative, Afghanistan was the proper place to be.

We had our glorious chance to bring democracy to the middle east there, and we ignored it because, well, none of this was ever about spreading democracy. A real President, a real Secretary of Defense. . . some real leaders running things could have made Afghanistan work. An intelligent plan of attack, a casualty-minimized strategy. . . these things do exist. They can and do work, if our government cares to employ them. In Bush's case, though, the lives of little brown children weren't really worth the extra cost in equipment and time.

So I guess the best way to explain it is that I wanted the United States to eliminate the Taliban, but I wanted to do it in a legal and humane way. Which sadly, precludes having a NeoCon cabal like the one we have no in charge.

[A Brand New World]

15. I knew from the beginning that * was lying through his teeth in

order to get into war with Saddam to "one-up" Daddy. Or the "he tried to kill my Daddy" reason - I haven't quite decided which of those two scenarios is the correct one. Anyway, * is too much of a simpleton to have any more of a complex reason than either of those two. Although, the "oil" scenario could be there too. To me, he was just obviously lying.

I reluctantly supported the Afghanistan invasion, only from the position of knowing that innocent people would be killed. Taking the Taliban out and Bin Laden was justified IMHO.

I think it was an illegal and immoral invasion back then and have not changed my mind at all. If anything, I'm even more convinced.

[VRine]

18. Against

I also have been against every invasion of my lifetime. I have never believed in Manifest Destiny. I have never believed in the "White Mans Burden" to bring civilization/democracy to the huddling masses.

[dhinojosa]

19. My neighbor in 91 said it was for oil....

I didn't believe her......hahaha. oops.

[Eloriel]

17. Hardly any DUers thought it was right, or that there were WMDs

I can remember a very small handful of those posting during the whole build-up toward the war were supportive or thought there even might be WMDs (the primary reason given for the need for war, if you recall).

We had access to innumerable non-Corporate and other media stories that helped us know the truth.

And then too, IMO, there were some commonsense issues that warned against the war: The U.N. itself didn't want its own resolution enforced, and Iraq's neighbors weren't the least bit concerned about him. Further, just about the whole rest of the world was against it. With those three negative indicators, what more CAUTION! WARNING! WARNING! signs does one need?

[DanCa]

20. Prime Directive here

I dont believe we have a right to interfere in another culture. We should have never have put saddam hussien in power in the first place. Than when the bombing began I knew it was just a smokescreen. What was he waitting on the use of the wmd I couldnt figure it out. No we know he never had them.

Now I am behind the idea of going into afgahistan why because it was obl who attacked us. I believe that we have the right to deffend our country under the threat of real attack . However Bush co screwed that one up as well. I can't believe that the chimp out sourced the military when he was corned in tora (sorry cant spell that word) mountains. And people say the chimp is a great military commander (PUKE)

Please can someone logically tell me why a great military man like Senator Kerry is incapable of keeping us safe when the chimp is known to have gotten preferential tratment and got his daddy to send his monkey hide in the guard. I just dont understand the sheeple do you?