Re: David S. Ettinger’s Dec. 20 letter, “U.S. should apologize�:
Ettinger recommended we should apologize to the Iraqi people for the mess created after we deposed Saddam Hussein.
While his letter may be well-intentioned, here’s why we shouldn’t apologize:
Saddam was unique in that he had a long history of mayhem, attacking both Iran and Kuwait. Israel destroyed his nuclear capability in the ’80s, but he retained that knowledge base and vowed to export it.
He was an avowed enemy of the United States and a terrorist who rewarded Palestinian families of suicide bombers. He threw out U.N. inspectors in the ’80s and ’90s. He made the United Nations a laughingstock, turned Iraq into a human cesspool and was a destabilizing factor in the middle of the Middle East.
Deposing him was crucial to any future Mideast stability. The ensuing aftermath was the result of Iraqis failing to stand up and take responsibility for a more representative government. Osama bin Laden said he attacked the World Trade Center in 2001 because U.S. troops were in Saudi Arabia in 1991. We were there to repel Saddam after he invaded Kuwait, thereby relating Saddam indirectly to 9/11.
Europe’s oil for money and other economic involvement with Iraq rendered it impotent against Iraq while Saddam was killing upward of 1 million countrymen in the 25-plus years he terrorized Iraq.
Sectarian violence is terrible, but there was no hope under Saddam. Horror stories from his regime are still emerging.
Terrorism is a worldwide problem, and 9/11 was just the 20th or so increasingly bold attack against the Western world.
The United Nations and Europe — except British Prime Minister Tony Blair — should apologize to Iraqis for sanctioning Saddam’s torture mills while conducting business as usual with that tyrant.
President Bush took action against Saddam, for which he should receive high praise.
— Tom Reilly, Thousand Oaks
Well said. Those of you still listening to Air (head) America read the letter again, then start reading your history. It will all start making sense.
Tom,
Nice bit of revisionist history. Many of your points are accurate. Saddam Hussein was a brutal and sadistic leader that needed to be dealt with both for the sake of international peace and stability and for the sake of the Iraqi people. However, the means by which President Bush has taken to pursue these ends has only presently led to greater instability and the loss of over 100,000 lives in Iraq. The continuation of the war may bring and end to the war but it will not result in peace or even greater homeland security.
The United States will always have enemies in this world. It is not possible, nor is it wise, to commit the blood and the treasure of this great nation to democratizing the world at the point of a cruise missile. Our enemies must be engaged, but war should always be the last resort and not used as the prime instrument of foreign policy.
Where was the outcry nearly twenty years ago when Saddam was gassing his own people and initiating a war with Iran that claimed the lives of a million and a half people? Oh, that's right, he may have been a murderous and irresponsible thug, but he was still our murderous and irresponsible thug, who had yet to double-cross Bush-41 by invading Kuwait. Other than international condemnation by human rights watch groups like Amnesty International, there was little if not any criticism of these atrocities when Reagan and Bush-41 were in charge.
Linking Saddam Hussein and Iraq to the 9-11 attack is and was a lie to decieve and delude the American people into invading a country that we eviscerated in the Gulf War and was not an immediate or even potential threat to the security of this country. As it stands now, both our security and our integrity in the eyes of the world have been greatly diminished.
Thank you President Bush.
Smart Americas showed that this war is illegal and Bush and Cheany should be held accounted for war crimes
Where was the outcry nearly twenty years ago when Saddam was gassing his own people and initiating a war with Iran that claimed the lives of a million and a half people? Bush Sr. gave him these weapons repug