Cox Confused on Iraq
Whether by accident or intention, Mr. Cox has sorely misrepresented the facts in his April 13th column. He claims that Saddam never had WMD’s. He forgets that French, German, British, and every other nation’s Intelligence recognized that he had them. At the end of Desert Storm, the ceasefire agreement required the destruction of these weapons. If he was complying with this agreement, why all the secrecy? Is it hard to believe that during the “8-month rush to war” Saddam was able to send his WMD’s to a country like Syria? Mr. Cox also argues that we erred in linking Saddam to 9-11. Saddam was linked to Al-Quaida, not 9-11. Just because a person wasn’t directly involved in the St. Valentines Massacre doesn’t mean they’re not in the mob. Next is the issue of the aircraft carrier. The “end of major combat operations” is a technical term used to determine things like rules of engagement. The “Mission Accomplished” sign was not a declaration on the war. That sign regarded the crew’s mission. When my unit was preparing to leave Kosovo, we were also congratulated for accomplishing our mission. Nothing bothered me more than the claim that we accept the loss of our soldiers “rather easily”. Those that support the president’s vision in Iraq the most tend to be members of the military. They have the most to lose and the least to gain yet they support the President because they see the good that is being accomplished. Every soldier’s death in Iraq is a tragedy. Some of them were my friends; all of them are heroes. Please don’t discount their sacrifice. Look at what’s happening over there because of them! The elections that could never happen happened. The government that could never stabilize elected the first PM in decades. The insurgents that would never stop have reduced attacks by 30% since the election. Never forget that we haven’t been attacked since the war. Those that hate us flocked to Iraq. Better that our soldiers fight them there, than our civilians fight them here. These seem like worthy goals to fight for. I leave you with a question. If nothing is worth dying for, what it there worth living for?