After stating that the purpose of this blog is to provide libertarian commentary on current events, I almost feel obligated to comment on tonight’s speech by President Bush. However, I don’t feel like he brought up anything new and relatively little that is blog-worthy.
He continues to link Iraq to terrorism, without mentioning that terrorism was almost non-existent there before we invaded. He mentions that if he succeeds, terrorist organizations will “lose recruits,” without mentioning the number of “terrorists” that he created by invading and occupying that country.
He didn’t clarify why we overthrew a government that posed us no threat. He made no mention of why the reasons for taking this country to war changed when it was confirmed that there were no weapons. He provided no excuses for proactively seeking out reasons to take us to war, instead of examining evidence and concluding that war was the only option.
I am convinced that Bush’s belief in empirical, neo-con ideologies led us into the war in Iraq. Based in his ideology, Bush believed that what the middle east needed was a democracy. Citizens in other middle eastern countries would see this flourishing democracy and eventually, like a seed, freedom would spread across the region, bringing an end to terrorism.
Iraq just happened to be the easiest target for this “seed of democracy.” They were already in violation of UN resolutions, so international support would be relatively easy to gain. We had intelligence that could arguably point to their having weapons of mass destruction, and possessing WMD’s means they could be considered a threat to us.
If Bush would admit that these were his reasons, I would have a lot more respect for him. And I would still go to my grave screaming that he is wrong.
Instead of the truth, all we get is rhetoric and hypocrisies that can lead us only to conclude that our commander in chief is either a liar, or an idiot.
Did he really believe there were weapons? Did he really believe Iraq was a threat to us? Did he really believe that war was the only option? Does he really believe that they hate us for our freedom?
Bush doesn’t believe any of that. I believe that Bush know’s the truth, but he is out to sell a war. A war that we are in because of his twisted neo-con beliefs, and his twisted definition of freedom. He believes that by overthrowing countries and interfering throughout the world, we can end terrorism. Unfortunately, that is what causes it.
