# What? Iraq wasn't a war? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 4, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492 "2003-06-04T01:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/1 "2003-06-04T01:58:30Z")
Forget naming the war folks…it wasn’t a war. > [@](#): > > “First of all, it’s the battle of Iraq, not war,” Rove countered. “This is part of the war on terrorism.” [http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special\_packages/iraq/5979418.htm](http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5979418.htm) Give me a break. Revisionism already? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/2 "2003-06-04T02:41:01Z")
The last time the US declared war was, IIRC, against Germany in 1941. They’re not called wars anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/3 "2003-06-04T02:53:37Z")
I don’t care what they call it. Having to carry survival gear and weapons and seeing people shooting in my direction leads me to call it a war. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/4 "2003-06-04T03:08:29Z")
What’s the debate? Was it a war or not? It was a war. ---
**Author:** ![Spite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spite)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/5 "2003-06-04T03:17:55Z")
Not “officially”. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/6 "2003-06-04T03:26:43Z")
That’s right, it was the Battle of Iraq, part of the War on Terrorism. We weren’t there to oust Saddam or find any WMDs, we were there to capture Osama bin Laden and his balsa gliders and Winnebagos - which we did, by the way. (Of course we did! Stop laughing, you America-haters.) But his cronies fled to Syria and Iran, so we have to go into those countries and capture them too. I’m surprised this is a shock to you. Haven’t you been reading the papers? Not those liberal rags, I mean the _real_ papers. The ones that weren’t circulated, so they wouldn’t fall into enemy hands. Only us **real patriots** got a copy. What’s that, you didn’t get a copy? Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![MrTuffPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/7 "2003-06-04T04:06:10Z")
Mr2001: God Bless you! I am proud to have you on the side of the real Americans. [/sarcasm] ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/8 "2003-06-04T13:07:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SenorBeef \* > The last time the US declared war was, IIRC, against Germany in 1941. True. > [@](#): > > They’re not called wars anymore. By whom? Obviously nobody’s paying attention, because pretty much everyone still calls 'em wars. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/9 "2003-06-04T13:08:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\*By whom? Obviously nobody’s paying attention, because pretty much everyone still calls 'em wars. \*\* The real patriots Mr2001 mentioned - did you not get the memo??? :wally ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/10 "2003-06-04T13:44:44Z")
Well lessee… Vietnam was a conflict, Korea was a police action… right? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/11 "2003-06-04T13:57:35Z")
Given all the other lies we’ve been fed from the White House over this conflict, revisionist semantics seems to be the _least_ of our concerns. (I don’t recall any “Battle of Iraq” banners flashing across Fox News and CNN, do you?) ---
**Author:** ![potus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@potus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/potus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/12 "2003-06-04T14:35:50Z")
A war involves two armies. This conflict didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/13 "2003-06-04T15:18:00Z")
Just to be a nitpicking pain in the ass, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania enjoy the joint honor of being the last nations the US declared war on. [Warning: PDF file](http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/DeclarationofWar.PDF) Did everyone miss the other memo? Military actions have been ‘Operations’ since the 80’s. Sound much more surgical, that. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/14 "2003-06-04T15:22:17Z")
I think it’s a matter of Congress having the power to declare war according to the Constitution, but Presidents being the ones who do it as a matter fo fact. ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/15 "2003-06-04T15:49:31Z")
**RTFirefly** and **Senorbeef** , I thought Nazi Germany declared war on the USA in 1941 and not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/16 "2003-06-04T16:56:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*I don’t care what they call it. Having to carry survival gear and weapons and seeing people shooting in my direction leads me to call it a war. \*\* Does that mean that this conflict from 1939-1945 was actually the War of Poland, followed by the War of France, followed by the War of Britain, followed by the War of North Africa, followed by the War of French Liberation, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.? ---
**Author:** ![jweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweb)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/17 "2003-06-04T18:18:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \* > \*\*I think it’s a matter of Congress having the power to declare war according to the Constitution, but Presidents being the ones who do it as a matter fo fact. \*\* Didn’t Congress vote for a declaration of war in Gulf War I? I seem to remember watching the vote on CSPAN with my dad. Possibly the only time I’ve ever actually watched CSPAN. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/18 "2003-06-04T19:06:49Z")
Yes, Congress did not declare war on Iraq. But then, Congress never passed a “declaration of war on terrorism,” either. Congress authorized the use of military force against Iraq and against those who perpetrated or assisted the 9-11 attacks. ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/19 "2003-06-04T19:29:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SenorBeef \* > \*\*The last time the US declared war was, IIRC, against Germany in 1941. > > They’re not called wars anymore. \*\* I can pretty much say with confidence that is called the Vietnam WAR not the conflict in vietnam I think someone should call CNN and change all their references to the Gulf WAR. Did we specifically declare war on terrorists since everyone seems to agree there is a WAR on terrorism. This all some Poltically correct push to label things in some antiseptic neat little harmeless category. The US forces have killed several thousands of Iraqi regulars and hundreds of “irregulars”. 2 military forces fighting each other. Thats called a war. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492/20 "2003-06-04T19:43:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Optihut \* > \*\ ***RTFirefly** and **Senorbeef** , I thought Nazi Germany declared war on the USA in 1941 and not the other way around. \*\* Congress declared war on Germany after Germany and Italy declared war on the US. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iraq-wasnt-a-war/179492.md?page=2)