Originally posted by candletrader
... jeez, I am transforming from a "gung-ho bomb all the terrorists" sort of guy to a "concerned global citizen".... must have been something I ate.... :eek:
Or maybe you are mellowing with age
It is crucial to recognize all of the mentioned points. Yes, Afghanistan is the obvious route for a pipeline, etc, etc.
However, there are more issues here than economic. I am certainly not in the know of all the details involved. But there can be no taking lightly the risks of an out of control state with a weapons program we don't really know enough about to evaluate (you and I).
I would however say that if Saddam had the time and the resources to achieve creating (or buying or even worse selling) nuclear weapons, or if Al Qada did, they apparently would not be easily deterred from using them. So it is a dangerous situation regardless of the economics. What would be the worldwide consequences of a Scud Missile hitting Tel Aviv with a nuclear bomb? Or Tehran? Or any of Saddams' other neighbors he has a gripe with? (Let alone getting one into the US).
Now I am certainly not voting to bomb Iraq, because I don't have the information available to me to make an informed decision. BUT...Saddam's history is clear. He is a mass murderer. He has committed atrocities beyond belief. He even kills members of his own family. He was an assassin before he was a head of state.
If you could change history, would you have made a preemptive attack against Hitler?
And still, if there is a way to avoid war, that is what I would vote for.
Peace (whenever possible),
RS7
