# Bush Admin wants to narrow the scope of the War Crimes Act **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 16, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979 "2006-08-16T17:44:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979/161 "2006-08-22T22:05:49Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] And how many Iraqi deaths, military and civilian, can be attributed to the Gulf War plus 12 years of sanctions plus the invasion and all its attendant destruction of infrastructure plus three years of occupation and insurgency? [/QUOTE] What does that have to do with the price of butter in Denmark? All that argues for is better planning. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979/162 "2006-08-23T00:42:33Z")
As if this war would be a success if it had only been _planned better_, not that the objectives themselves were utterly misconceived? Come on now. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979/163 "2006-08-23T19:26:51Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] What does that have to do with the price of butter in Denmark? All that argues for is better planning. [/QUOTE] Right. And the problem with the Hindenberg was that it didn’t have enough fire extinguishers. No, **John,** what it argues for is the need to weigh the evils you wish to fight against the evils you will cause by fighting them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979/164 "2006-08-23T20:09:22Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Right. And the problem with the Hindenberg was that it didn’t have enough fire extinguishers. [/quote] So, the Iraqis are either doomed to kiling each other or being under the iron fist of a tyrant? How long is this-- forever? Iraq was an artificially created country in the first place. > [@](#): > > No, **John,** what it argues for is the need to weigh the evils you wish to fight against the evils you will cause by fighting them. Yes, that’s exactly what you do. You keep ignoring the fact that we (and the British) were the ones holding Saddam at bay. We weren’t morally obligated to do that forever, and if we left there is every indication that Saddam would’ve returned to his brutal ways-- and his sons after him. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979/165 "2006-08-23T23:35:17Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] So, the Iraqis are either doomed to kiling each other or being under the iron fist of a tyrant? [/QUOTE] On the evidence, yes. History condemned them to that fate as it condemned the Yugoslavians. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979/166 "2006-08-24T00:15:02Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] On the evidence, yes. History condemned them to that fate as it condemned the Yugoslavians. [/QUOTE] Well, we have a very different moral compass then. I don’t accept that “history” or “fate” are controlling factors in human action. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wants-to-narrow-the-scope-of-the-war-crimes-act/368979.md?page=8)