Legacy of Terror

Even now, more than a year after the invasion of Iraq, I still hear sophisticated arguments about how we should have never invaded in the first place. Some of the arguments are pretty rational and some are espoused by decent people. Yet, without fail, every one of them makes me at least a little angry. Here's why...

At least 400,000 people were executed by Saddam. Men, Women and Children who were forced to kneel then were shot in the head. They are buried at more than 270 sites throughout Iraq and more are still being found.

The impetus for going to war was clearly flawed. The lack of WMD represents a major error on the part of the intelligence services, the President, the previous President, Congress and similar organizations from other countries. All of whom assumed WMD was present and would be found. However, that means little in light of the knowledge of the genocide that occurred under Saddam.

Throughout modern history whenever killing on this scale is uncovered, the peace activists and others swear "we must never forget" - until the next time a tyrant is uncovered and then these same people refuse to support the necessary steps to stop the killing. There always seems to be some high moral argument against taking action. We can add Iraq to a long list of places that includes Auschwitz, Cambodia, Srebenica, and Rwanda.

Then there are those who decry any role for America as "the world's policeman". No, we shouldn't feel compelled to run around the world righting every wrong, but whenever and wherever the mass killing of innocents occurs we should be there if we have the power to stop it. Otherwise, we become complicit in a crime against humanity.

Those who still argue about the unjustness of our war against Iraq need to visit here and read the report with all of it's grisly detail. You might have a great sounding, eloquent argument against our military actions, but my response is this: 400,000 buried in mass graves all over Iraq. To put it bluntly, I don't want to hear any of your arguments. They all amount to cowardice and hiding behind religion or some other high and mighty principles that bear the smell of mass graves.

Previous post on this issue: Modern Chamberlain

Earlier article from the BBC: BBC Report

Current article in The Weekly Standard: Saddam's Crimes