Donald Rumsfeld’s commentary piece shows exactly what is wrong with the Bush administration’s policy on our war against terrorism.
In his essay, he draws comparisons between the Korean War and the war in Iraq, trying to justify the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Let me point out three important points Rumsfeld failed to point out:
– In Korea, the U.S went to war under the United Nations banner with the cooperation of Western Europe.
– There was a sovereign government in place that we were supporting.
– We were responding to an invasion from North Korea into South Korea.
These key pieces are missing with the Bush administration’s pre-emptive war in Iraq.
The administration never sold the war as liberating Iraq but, rather, portrayed Iraq as an imminent and gathering threat that posed a great danger to the American people, and that had used and would use weapons of mass destruction.
I don’t know how “free” the Iraqi people are feeling right now. But with an occupying force of 130,000 U.S. troops, I doubt very much at all.
In the greater war on terror, this administration has all but united the Muslim world against us. As hard as it may seem, you can’t fight fire with fire. You fight fire with water.
Terrorism is a desperate act of an alienated people. To attack back allows the terrorist to win. To work with other nations to build common ground is the only way we can all really feel free.
