Greedy Politics and America’s War On Iraq

On the morning of March 19, 2003, U.S.-led forces began to invade the Middle-Eastern country of Iraq with the intention of overthrowing its leader, Saddam Hussein. This action was taken primarily as a result of U.S. President George W. Bush’s long-standing contention that the Iraqi regime was a direct threat to the United States. Bush outlined his reasons for the attack in a speech he delivered to the American people in the days before the war:

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.

The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda (Bush “Ultimatum” 1).

More than a year and a half ago, on September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists from the al Qaeda network hijacked four airliners and successfully used three of them to attack the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the World Trade Center in New York. These attacks marked the first time in American history that a full-scale attack was executed on our own soil, and they affected the American people on a number of different levels. Americans found themselves shocked that such an event could occur, as well as reeling with grief for the more than 3,000 people who died in the tragedy. Soon, the shock and grief that penetrated the hearts of the American people gave way, in part, to a sense of national pride. American flags waved from every overpass, and “God Bless America” could be heard on every r...

... middle of paper ...

...arcourt, Brace and World, Inc. 1968. pp. 361-380. (Text available at http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/nationalism.html).

Raasch, Chuck. “Public opinion intensifies on both sides of Iraq war.” The Advocate. 2 April, 2003: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/news/stories/20030402/localnews/42689.html.

Stolberg, Cheryl Gay. “Threats and Responses: Washington Talk; And Order of Fries, Please, But Do Hold the French”. New York Times. 12 March 2003, Late Edition: Sec. A, p. 1, col. 5.

Byrd, Robert C. “We Stand Passively Mute”. 12 February, 2003. http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_speeches/byrd_speeches_2003february/byrd_speeches_2003march_list/byrd_speeches_2003march_list_1.html.

Donnelly, Thomas, et al. Rebuilding America’s Defenses. Project for the New American Century. September 2000. http://newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf.

(ianw.org)