The Invasion Of Iraq

[Marky B]

Well,it is five years since the allies invaded Iraq. Any thoughts from anyone?

Ta Ta

Marky B

[DB7]

What a mess? I've no real objection to regime-change but the nation was conned via a series of falsehoods about Iraq's current and available military strength; culminating in the dodgy dossier. Rolling a massive military force into Baghdad was never going to be a problem but the lack of thought and preparation focused on post-invasion Iraq is criminal - in hindsight we should have been more surgical rather than just bombing every building and installation til we nearly ran out of cruise missiles.



It's the civilian population I feel desperately sorry for, I dread to think how many non-combatants have been killed over the past five years, and even now things appear little better.



As unpalatable as it sounds I do agree with Blairs ex-aide, that at some point we'll have to open up a dialogue with the militias and insurgents.

[CaptainWaggett]

Disbanding an army without decommissioning their weapons and sacking large amounts of administrators simply because they'd been compelled to join a particular party in order to keep their jobs was never going to be a recipe for a stable new regime.

[Dame Starry]

name='DB7']What a mess?

That just about sums it up for me.



DS x.

[Moor Larkin]

name='Marky B']Well,it is five years since the allies invaded Iraq. Any thoughts from anyone?

Yeah.



Next time someone tells you that with age comes wisdom........



Point to Donald Rumsfeld....



....but don't laugh.







Now...... which door is marked Exit, do you think?

[David Brent]

name='DB7']What a mess? I've no real objection to regime-change but the nation was conned via a series of falsehoods about Iraq's current and available military strength; culminating in the dodgy dossier. Rolling a massive military force into Baghdad was never going to be a problem but the lack of thought and preparation focused on post-invasion Iraq is criminal - in hindsight we should have been more surgical rather than just bombing every building and installation til we nearly ran out of cruise missiles.



It's the civilian population I feel desperately sorry for, I dread to think how many non-combatants have been killed over the past five years, and even now things appear little better.



As unpalatable as it sounds I do agree with Blairs ex-aide, that at some point we'll have to open up a dialogue with the militias and insurgents.

The official figure estimates that over 80,000 civilians have died in Iraq in the last five years.



We were all sold a lie and we are still being sold a lie.

Invading Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 or fighting terrorism.



US and coalition troops are losing their lives and limbs not for the freedom of Iraq or for any fight against terrorism - it is all for the mighty dollar and middle east oil reserves.



Dave.

[Frank63]

We were all sold a lie and we are still being sold a lie.



What do you expect from a bunch of corrupt thieving liars who call themselves socialists

It's time these suicide bombers realised it's not the man in the street they should be blowing up but these buggers in parliament.

[Gazza]

I have felt so strongly about Iraq from the moment it became a possibility and have never felt so helpless and disenfranchised. It adds weight to my argument that democracy is one of the biggest lies of of modern times. Deep I know, and perhaps not for this forum but it's how I feel.



One cross in a box every five years does not represent me in any way whatsoever.

[undine]

The war on Iraq is just another in a long series of disastrous US foreign interventions conceived in ignorance and executed with incompetence, consummate arrogrance and overwhelming firepower. Can anyone name one country the US has invaded (other than Germany or Japan) that became a shining example of democracy, or even moderately good governance?

[penfold]

name='David Brent']The official figure estimates that over 80,000 civilians have died in Iraq in the last five years.



We were all sold a lie and we are still being sold a lie.

Invading Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 or fighting terrorism.



US and coalition troops are losing their lives and limbs not for the freedom of Iraq or for any fight against terrorism - it is all for the mighty dollar and middle east oil reserves.



Dave.

Not that I was pro-invasion, or am now, but a couple of correctives. By the same (independent) figures, 80,000 deaths over five years represents a ten thousand deaths per year decrease from the death rate under Saddam (QV The Guardian, yesterday, no supporter of the war).

I don't recall being sold the war primarily on 911 but WMD....which Saddam had used in the past and was still telling his own Generals he still had.

Having said the above, this current mess was entirely predictable.

[Dame Starry]

And the way that our injured servicemen/women are being treated by both the government and, on occasions, the public is despicable.



DS x.

[Marky B]

name='Gazza']I have felt so strongly about Iraq from the moment it became a possibility and have never felt so helpless and disenfranchised. It adds weight to my argument that democracy is one of the biggest lies of of modern times. Deep I know, and perhaps not for this forum but it's how I feel.



One cross in a box every five years does not represent me in any way whatsoever.

"We are here to preserve democracy,not practice it." Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide.



Ta Ta

Marky B

[davidb]

if iraqs main output was coffee beans or bananas we wouldnt be there but its main output is oil innit !

[Cooper S]

I wish as much fuss had been made about the death of David Kelly as has been made about Princess Diana.

[davidb]

name='Cooper S']I wish as much fuss had been made about the death of David Kelly as has been made about Princess Diana.

would elton johns have been able to do a tribute record [ originally written about someone else ] about a government scientist ? ....he probably would !

[billy bentley]

Cock up of the Century (thus far) for sure, lets work, hope and pray there isn't another one. Don't know what kind of coverage you get in Blighty on John McCain, but briefly he was talking about the U.S. military "hundred years presence" in Iraq. His advisors quickly got him to drop that one, I wonder why ?

[Panzer T]

As a person thats been there all i can say is that the sooner that the British Forces are out of there and apart from the bl**dy yanks the better!

People simply dont learn from history!

[David Brent]

name='Panzer T']As a person thats been there all i can say is that the sooner that the British Forces are out of there and apart from the bl**dy yanks the better!

People simply dont learn from history!

The problem now is that the Iraqi troops, police and government officials are not up to the task of taking over.



Look what has happened since the British army pulled out of Basra.



I agree Panzer that the British troops have done more than their fare share of battle duties in this unwinable conflict. Get the lads out before a full scale civil war breaks out.



Dave.

[billy bentley]

You're well late mate, the civil war is "game on". The Sunni, Shia and Kurds are already at it ! It's just these foreigners keep getting in the way. Iraq was never a real country anyway was it ? Just some kind of Middle East post WW1 quick fix, no ?

[Marky B]

name='Cooper S']I wish as much fuss had been made about the death of David Kelly as has been made about Princess Diana.

Well said,Cooper S. Whether it was suicide or not,that man was treated despicably!

Ta Ta

Marky B