Is the concept of the "lesser of two evils" that hard to understand? So what if we supported Iraq years ago against Iran? We felt Iraq was the lesser of two evils, AT THAT TIME. Things change. Italy and Japan were our enemies at one time, now they are not. Is this too terribly complex? If not, WHY keep bringing up the fact that Iraq was once a country we sided with in a different war? That is a simplistic, heavily flawed argument.
I won't quote conservatives about this issue. How about I quote the heroes of the modern day liberals? Are you ready? Prepare to see the hypocrite in your mirror. I know it's a little bit of reading, but this is part of the reason why so many people have no respect for the liberal political position du jour. By the way, I couldn't make up stuff this good!
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, December 16, 1998) -- President Bill Clinton Wednesday defended his decision to order airstrikes against Iraq, saying Saddam Hussein had failed his "one last chance" to cooperate with United Nations resolutions. "So we've had to act and act now."
"Earlier today I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces," Clinton said during his Oval Office address to the nation.
"Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs, and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the middle east and around the world," Clinton said.
or how about the man who "Should" be president today?
Washington -- Vice President Al Gore, interviewed by CNN's Larry King late December 16, 1998 explained why the United States felt obliged to strike at Iraq's Saddam Hussein earlier in the day.
"We tried to make this inspection regime work, and Saddam would not cooperate. In fact, he obstructed the inspectors. And so we are going to take the other alternative available to us, to use our military to degrade his ability to get weapons of mass destruction and threaten his neighbors. We'll make an assessment whenever this military action is completed. If, at some point in the future he decides to try to continue to threaten his neighbors and get weapons of mass destruction, we may have to do it again."
How about?
December 16, 1998 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen [Also participating in the briefing was Gen. Henry H. Shelton, U.S. Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] President Clinton's decision to strike Iraq has clear military goals. We want to degrade Saddam Hussein's ability to make and to use weapons of mass destruction. We want to diminish his ability to wage war against his neighbors. And we want to demonstrate the consequences of flouting international obligations.
One more:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
December 16, 1998
Q: Madame Secretary, you've said that you talked to more than a dozen of your counterparts today. France, since these strikes have started, has issued a statement saying that it disassociated itself from the military action. My question is, what are they telling you about the reasons that, in effect, the US and Britain are acting alone?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that basically they have felt that Saddam Hussein needs to comply, and they have approached it from a different way. But the truth is they have no answers as to how to make them comply. I think that we have support from a number of countries. I feel very satisfied with the overall support -- not only for diplomatic purposes, but I think that Secretary Cohen has also indicated that we have the kind of support we need in order to carry out our mission.
The bottom line is that it would be very nice if those who do not
support our approach had an approach that worked. We have not been able -- either they, through their diplomatic efforts, or we through ours -- to persuade Saddam Hussein to comply. I think we've been at this, as I've said -- in the last year there have been over four crises with Saddam Hussein. I think the important point that I have made as I've made my calls is that we have to break this cycle. Unless people have an answer that works, I think they can go their own way.