What Every American Should Know About Iraq

UK invaded mesopotania, because it was part of the Ottoman empire, which as on the same side as the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Next, you'll spring the news that the US,UK and Canada invaded France for no ascertainable reason on 6 June 1944.

quote:

* In 1980, the United States provided encouragement, weapons, intelligence, satellite data and funding for Saddam’s Iraq to invade Iran, launching an eight year war - the longest and probably the bloodiest of the post-WWII era.

That's because Iran invaded the US embassy and took American hostages. It's like the old saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Yes, it was a dumb decision, but if Iran had stayed out of our embassy and left our citizens alone, we would have never got involved.

Nash,

Pointing out errors to pba and pogo is fun to a point -- sort of like baiting varmints.

But, some times it like wrestling a pig. the pig enjoys it and you just get tired and muddy.

quote:

Nash,

Pointing out errors to pba and pogo is fun to a point -- sort of like baiting varmints.

But, some times it like wrestling a pig. the pig enjoys it and you just get tired and muddy.

Sounds like what you get when you try to argue with the lemming-like ultra conservatives that grace this fine state.

"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force of the people." James Madison, August 1793.

"Beware of the leader who bangs of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double edged sword. It emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. When the drums of war have reached a fervor pitch, and the blood boils with hate and the mind is closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and do it gladly so. How do I know? I know, for this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."

Abraham Lincoln made a statement 150 years ago that is chilling in its application to the war in Iraq. It would not be inaccurate to call it "Lincoln on Iraq." Abraham Lincoln served one term in Congress (1847-49). His attacks as a Whig on the motives behind the Mexican War (though he voted for war supplies) were viewed as unpatriotic to his constituents. Consequently, he lost popularity at home. Lincoln, in disgust, retired from politics and went back to the practice of law. Rather than fade away, he grew in stature as a public figure. During his term in Congress, Lincoln corresponded with his law partner, William H. Herndon, back in Illinois. Below is the text of one remarkable letter from Lincoln, that is as topical today as it was over 150 years ago.


Washington, February 15, 1848.

Dear William:

Your letter of the 29th of January was received last night. Being exclusively a constitutional argument, I wish to submit some reflections upon it in the same spirit of kindness that I know actuates you. Let me first state what I understand to be your position. It is that if it shall become necessary to repel invasion, the President may, without violation of the Constitution, cross the line and invade the territory of another country, and that whether such necessity exists in any given case the President is the sole judge.

. . . Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after having given him so much as you propose. If to-day he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us; " but he will say to you, "Be silent: I see it, if you don't."

The provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to Congress was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons: Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This our convention understood to be the most oppressive of all kingly oppressions, and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. But your view destroys the whole matter, and places our President where kings have always stood. Write soon again.

Yours truly,

A. Lincoln.

[From Lincoln, Abraham; Nicolay, John G., ed.; Hay, John, ed. [1848], 'Letter to William H. Herndon, February 15, 1848' in 'The Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln, v. 2' (New York: Francis D. Tandy Company, 1894)]

Good post pba. lot of important informatin that many people are unaware of. Most Americans are seeing throught the lies and oppose the war.
The quote form Balfour says it all.

"Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour said at the time, “I do not care under what system we keep this oil, but I am quite clear it is all-important for us that this oil should be available”.

Western control of the region has always been about oil. The American people are waking up to that fact and of course the new spin is "of course it's abut oil, we can't let it fall into the hands of ther terrorist." So we we make sure the oil corporations get it. Talk about "terrorists." But those who don't have Amnesia and can think for themsleves will remember that the govenrment and corporater media swore up and down it had nothing to do with the oil. The media pundits ridiculed those who said it was.

Bush and the right wing corporate media war machine were pumping out this stuff about how bad Saddam was liberals were saying we supported him in the 1980's. Of course the average person knew nothing about it and would say it was lies and to "Prove it." Now they know the truth but it's with the usual spin. It was because Iran was bad. But we also sold arms secretly to Iran.

It's a shell game and they keep the American people going around in circles. Some people begin to question and some never do. Some don't care. Either way it's now "on to Iran."

Good post bluefishbeagle

Total weaponry US furnished Iraq was about $200 million. Most of which were helicopters, ironically, originally ordered by the Shah of Iran. That's a mere pittance compared with the rest of the worlds sales to Iraq.

Looks, like Lincoln pretty much forgot that letter 13 years later.

I know that the US provided him with logistic and reconnaissance support that helped him track the Iranian military and all. There was also covert aid, some I know went through so called farm credits that were turned into cash. We also facilitated his access to chemical weapons, which he used.

A European publication, I think it was a German publication printed out a leaked list of chemical companies that sold to him, most were European but a couple were American. The Reagan administration approved the sales.

Satellite recon was provided by the US.

Imported weapons to Iraq in 1973-2002
Country $MM USD 1990% Total

USSR 25145 57.26
France 5595 12.74
China 5192 11.82
Czechoslovakia 2880 6.56
Poland 1681 3.83
Brazil 724 1.65
Egypt 568 1.29
Romania 524 1.19
Denmark 226 0.51
Libya 200 0.46
USA 200 0.46
South Africa 192 0.44
Austria 190 0.43
Switzerland 151 0.34
Yugoslavia 107 0.24
Germany (FRG) 84 0.19
Italy 84 0.19
UK 79 0.18
Hungary 30 0.07
Spain 29 0.07
East Germany 25 0.06
Canada 7 0.02
Jordan 2 0.005
Total 43915 100

Your list is from 1973, which was not the time Saddam was in power, although the Ba'ath party was in power and he was part of it he did not carryout his coup until 78 or 79. Carter actually placed an embargo on him but prior to that I think Iraq bought a lot of weapons from the Soviet Union.

Saddam used chemical weapons in the 1980's when we did support him and Reagan approved their sale to him from American companies. The satellite reconnaissance was really the turning point in the war for Saddam. Although the Iranian army had collapsed after the Shah's fall they used their superior numbers of forces as a human military wave to repel Iraq's invasion and then over run and force back Iraq's better equipped and trained forces back into Iraq.

Knowing where Iranian forces were concentrated helped Saddam to better prepare and concentrate his strength.

The CIA also funneled covert funds to Saddam through phony farm credits. I think it went through the now defunct BCCI Bank which was a bank used by the CIA to fund covert operations.