The case for this war is different in many aspects. We will not be spoon fed lies about the reason for war. In the last war with President Bush as our then Commander-in-Chief, the rationale for war kept changing by the day. Bad news was hidden. Mistakes both tactical on the ground and those made by politicians were ignored until it was too late. Our government lied to us. I could give you a list of Bush Administration officials who lied to the American people and to Congress under oath and indeed to the world. The media went along with these lies and published them or aired them as the truth. Even today many still believe those lies. But this diary is not about that Iraq war and what was done and what happened. This diary is about our current President's decision to send 300 troops into war on a humanitarian mission without Congressional approval.
Once again we find ourselves sending troops to Iraq under another President, but one I voted for twice a Democrat. President Obama has chosen to send 300 troops to fight ISIS in Iraq they have already been deployed. An American photo journalist, James Foley has been beheaded other westerners have been kidnapped. Yet, I cannot stand with my President as we go to war with a terrorist group in Iraq. ISIS are Sunni extremists who killed Shiites even when we had thousands of troops in Iraq there to fight terrorism or sectarian violence which continues even today. Back then they were not as organized or strong as they are now. Back then there weren't even called ISIS. Yet their goals were the same. Even then while we were there Americans were being beheaded like Nick Berg.
Yet again we stand in the same place as we did when we had thousands of troops in Iraq fighting terrorism to fight a war many thought we could not win. Today we have 300 Americans fighting to save Yazidis from ISIS. What is the rationale to go to war or send troops to war where casualties can result. Is this group a national security threat to the safety of the people of our country? No. Are they are threat to the national security of the US? Again no. ISIS stretches into Syria does this mean we will go wherever ISIS takes the fight?
Are we the international police of the world? No, neither can we be though many in Congress think that we are. Do we not have the moral responsibility to respect International law? Are we going to keep going back to fight these horrible groups as they pop up and behead Americans and other westerners? President Obama was against the first Iraq war. Back then he was an IL State Senator. He got us out of Iraq when he became President. Now on a small scale he is going back in.
For the first time in a while, I find myself at odds with the President. Did we manage to get rid of the Taliban by going to war with Afghanistan sure, we got rid of OBL but the Taliban is still there perhaps weakened by they are still causing havoc. Did we get rid of Al Qaeda? No, they are still operational though weaker, even though their leader is dead. And now ISIS, I have to say, if one wants to give a reason to go to war, be it a humanitarian one or any other reason politicians in Congress will support and justify their support by giving any reason they can.
Let us not forget that many prominent democrats voted for Bush's Iraq war. Now we are going there for another reason a humanitarian one. We almost went to war with Syria. Fortunately there was too much opposition even though Assad was using chemical weapons on his own people. But horrible as that was there was no national security threat to us. But now with Iraq what is the national security threat? And is that a good reason to send our men and women to war again? After much thinking about this I have come to the conclusion that war is not the answer.
I would like to end by saying that the President should seek Congressional approval to go to war; it would be my hope that he would not receive it. But chances are that democrats will stand with him as will some republicans who don’t even need a reason to go to war with Iraq. The drum beat for war will continue as will the call to send more troops to Iraq.