WSSU alum Raoul Davis shares Iraqi war opinion

Special to the Argus Let’s start with the premise of honesty. Saddam Hussein does not deserve to be in power and his current home, a jail cell with a large picture of President Bush smiling at him is an appropriate location for him to rot. He is a liar and a mass murderer and was funding suicide bombers to attack Israel, he invaded a country, and tried to assassinate an American president. On our road to honesty, let us be clear that 9/11 is not what provoked the interest in going after Iraq. President Bush in his 2000 presidential debate against Al Gore mentioned going after Iraq. Going to war with Iraq has been a goal of the administration since it initially took office and the United Nations process was more of a pony-show then an effort to create a diplomatic solution. One of the more interesting paradoxes from the war was Bush and Powell’s false accusations that Iraq had a substantive link to Al-Quaida, however; by engaging in this war, Iraq is now a haven for Al-Quaida. The leadership of this heinous terrorist group has decided Iraq is the best front to “kill the American infidels.” So now President Bush has made it easier to kill Americans, no need to visit the United States when you can go after soldiers every day in Iraq. The support for Al-Quaida is growing in the Muslim community. Our approach in Iraq has aided this growth. If we had not sent our forces to Iraq, Al-Quaida might not exist today, U.S. intelligence officers openly admit half of the intelligence and Special Forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan were diverted to the war in Iraq. Additionally, the administration made no substantive effort to gain international support and the burden is placed on the backs of not only American soldiers but also the American taxpayers. The administration has engaged in wishful thinking, they thought getting rid of Saddam Hussein would make democracy easy to establish in Iraq and throughout the middle east and it would lesson the influence of Al-Quaida. Instead, they have strengthened Al-Quaida recruitment and the resolve of its members. Now we see new threats as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are looking to focus their efforts on U.S. interest after the war in Iraq and fighting between Israeli’s and Palestinians. This country needs leadership that the rest of the world will respect. After Bush’s comments post 9/11 about the crusades is it a wonder why many Iraqi’s believe this is a holy war?