In 1992, Dick Cheney, then Secretary of Defense, was asked why the United States didn’t go into Baghdad and topple Saddam in the first Gulf War. His answer:
On his list…
- What kind of government to put in Saddam’s place would work?
- How long could that government “survive” without America “to keep it propped up”?
- We’d “still have people there” (in 1992) instead of being able to take them home.
- Would have been fighting in an urban setting, leading to more casualties.
- The cost would have been enormous.
- Disintegration of the Arab coalition who signed on to the US getting Iraq out of Kuwait.
- Disposing Saddam “not [worth] very damn many” American soldier’s lives.
It almost sounds like it’s a joke. He listed off pretty much every single reason we shouldn’t have done it and every one of his predictions has come to pass. The cost, the casualties, the inability to get the Iraqi government and military to stand up on their own, all of it.
Fantastic.
4 responses so far ↓
PaulM // September 28, 2007 at 12:56 pm |
What do you expect from the main man in the clusterdouche that is the White House?
Hanlon // September 29, 2007 at 12:25 pm |
What’s crazy is that when you look BACK on it, you’re almost tempted to say “man, that’s so profound and level-headed.”
PaulM // October 1, 2007 at 9:57 am |
Sleep well, America.
Kitty // October 14, 2007 at 12:18 pm |
Hmmm, I wonder what made it “[worth] very damn many” American soldier’s (and civilian’s) lives”?!
Then again, it’s not like they can just come out and say…”We’re here for the oil, Thanks!’