Why do I get the feeling...

[merge]

we are being lied to?

Bin Laden and Iraq (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=542&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20030211/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq)

It just seems a bit odd to me... why is it that I hear a new way that Osama is tied to Iraq at least once per week, now that we are about to go to war?

Before the talks about a war with Iraq, I saw something like this.. maybe twice.... but since then it looks more and more like a way that the administration can justify this war...

I am not necessarily against the war... I still have mixed feelings... but it still looks like we are searching harder and harder to find a "valid" reason to bomb Iraq.

[lieu]

I wonder how Iraq will respond to the message. Iraq aside, ccoinciding with the Orange Alert it could be a call to action. Can't say I'm crazy about the timing.

[DrClayForrester]

Please keep in mind that this is just my own personal opinion...

It has been my belief that our administration has been "looking for a reason" for quite some time. Don't get me wrong--if Iraq actually IS producing weapons of mass destruction, then I do believe they should disarm. However, the "proof" that has been offered to the public is, at best, extremely slim.

My opinion of the whole mess is this: After the failed attempt to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the administration took it upon themselves to try to draw attention away from it, as well as the downward spiral of the US economy. After casting around for a likely target, it was decided, "Hey! What about that Saddam guy? He was a real troublemaker when daddy was in office... And he made daddy look bad because he didn't give up and go away. Let's say he's linked to all of this and them go after him!"

This ridiculous attempt to show a connection between al Queda and Hussein's regime was disregarded almost immediately by just about everyone. The UN said it sounded iffy. The American people (for the most part) were skeptical. America's allies stood back and said, "Wait a minute... What proof do you have?" So the administration began an intense campaign to convince everyone that what they wanted to do was the right thing. Some of the allies thought, "Hmmm... Well, if they're that passionate about it, it must be true." Others asked for more proof, and are still waiting for it.

So far, to my knowledge (and please correct me if I'm wrong), the only thing that has been offered up as proof to the American people (the people that the government is supposed to work FOR) was several twenty-plus year old empty missle casings. Hardly solid evidence that proves Saddam and his cronies are making weapons of mass destruction. Much less so, that there is any connection whatsoever to al Queda.

On top of this, the president and his cabinet have done little more than stand around shaking their fists for MONTHS. If they were so certain that the connection was there, why all the saber rattling? Why not go in, take care of the problem, and come back home? Don't spend a year and a half complaining that you know what's going on. If there ARE weapons of mass destruction being made, I don't believe the weapons inspectors will find them anyhow, because of the ridiculously long wait between the claims and the actions. If they exist, they won't be found because Dubya and his cronies gave more than enough time for them to be properly hidden.

So, yes, I do believe you're justified in thinking that something might be amiss. I believe that the president has gotten it into his head that he's got to defend his father's name against the man who made him look bad. And I think that countless innocent people are going to die as a result of his personal vendetta.

And here's another thing: it's been said that history is doomed to repeat itself. Please note that, like when his father threw a party in Kuwait, the economy is in terrible shape. His approval rating--again, like his father's--was at an all-time low. So don't be surprised in the least if a war comes. And don't be surprised if the final outcome looks kind of familiar.

All the best,
DCF

[Lissa]

I think that a good deal of support for the war against Iraq stems from the stupidity of the American people, which never ceases to amaze and horrify me.

For example, this site (http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0301/S00111.htm) lists results from a Knight-Rider poll:

Knight-Ridder also asked, “As far as you know, how many of the September 11 terrorist hijackers were Iraqi citizens?”

Twenty-one percent said that “most” were Iraqi citizens, 23 percent answered “some” were, 6 percent said only one was an Iraqi, and 33 percent didn’t know or refused to answer. Only 17 percent knew the correct answer: “none.”


Also:

Knight-Ridder essentially duplicated the findings of an October poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, which found that (as paraphrased by the Reuters newswire) “66 percent believed [Saddam] was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.”

The attention-span of the average American is incredibly short, as is their memory. So much attention has focused on Iraq of late, that now people are convinced that Saddam sent the terrorists. What happened to Osama Bin Laden? "Who?"