Iraq War: Was it worth it?

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

4,000 Americans dead
30,000 Americans wounded
80,000 to 150,000 or more Iraqi's dead
Uncounted Iraqi's wounded
Millions of Iraqi refugees
$600 billion to US taxpayers for the direct war costs, plus whatever the economic cost of damage to our economy, high price of gas, damage to Iraqi infrastructure. Estimates of total direct costs before the end are between 1.2 trillion and 2.7 trillion, depending on how long it goes and eventual outcome. Estimates of direct and indirect costs together are about 3 trillion.
Loss of credibility, respect and standing in the world
Alienation of allies
Internal division within our own country
Increase in number of terrorists worldwide due to hatred and resentment over the war
Creation of Al Qaeda in Iraq
Ongoing instability in Iraq
Increased instability in greater Middle East
Exhaustion and depletion of our military, meaning decreased readiness for other threats[/B]

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-We ousted an evil dictator and his two insane sons

Agreed.

-We created a place where it was easier to round up/or kill the bad guys

You mean where badguys could congregate in a destabalized region, step up the recruitment, and kill hundreds of thousands of people? Seems the bad guys have accomplished more slaughter than ever.
Not to mention, every "insurgent" who fought America isn't a "bad guy" by default. Some of these fighters are Iraqi patriots that a) want to protect their homeland from a foreign invader, and b) want vengeance for the death of their family/friends via American bombs, and otherwise wouldn't have fought America in the first place.
I love how folk think that creating enemies then killing them, is "routing out the terrorists".

-We saved millions of Kurds/Shi-ites from genocide

Was Saddam about to implement a mass genocide? Honestly, I can't say because I don't know, but I'd never heard of this. Killing Kurds almost 20 years ago does't count as a current genocide btw.

-An enviroment was created where Muslims openly rejected Al-Quada

Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were bitter enemies. Saddam was a tyrant, I'm sure arguments could be made for his own potential terrorist activities, but Saddam and AlQaeda were on very unfriendly terms. You may recall Osama Bin Laden publicly calling Saddam a "bad Muslim".

Of course what Saddam did do was manage a stable, strong enough nation to be a constant threat at Iran's doorstep. Iran couldn't afford to weaken itself with a US conflict with Saddam ready to jump in and invade at any chance. How does "planting the seeds of democracy" around Iran undermine it again? Seems that a brutal dictator as a hostile enemy was a bigger threat and balancing force than some democracy held together with duct tape.

-We saved ourselves from a terrorist attack via Saddam

LOL, being in the middle east doesn't make him a terrorist threat by default. Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, ALL bigger and more legitimate terrorist threats than Iraq.

-We made the region MORE secure by ousting Saddam

How is hundreds of thousands of dead people, 4,000 dead Americans, millions displaced, increased AlQaeda recruitment, and money spent in the trillions being more secure?

-We made the region MORE secure by sending the trash to Allah

Not even sure what that means... :wtf:

-We've gained respect with the people of that region by NOT running out on an obligation...cut an run would be considered a loss

Agreed. I don't know about overal respect gained (I doubt it), but cutting and running, leaving the mess to them and millions of people to the mercy of gangsters and terrorists, is disgracefull and downright cruel/selfish.

-We've been rebuilding a failing infrastructure left by a tyrant and expanding it's benifits to ALL Iraqis instead of a "special sector" therefore creating a new allie in the region

Infrastructure such as electricity, plumping, housing and the such, has still yet to reach pre-invasion levels last I heard. I wonder if every person who's home was destroyed will be fully compensated.


And hey, here's food for thought: Imagine if all those resources put into Iraq were being kept in the Afghan war. Consider that there are about 60,000 troops in Afghanistan, and the generals are calling for another 60,000 to be able to fully stabalize the region. An untouched Iraq could have had us won against the Taliban by now! Not that we should be focusing on real threats or anything...