Reply #19: The left was wrong?

[Jack Rabbit]

That's news to me.

Saddam's capture does not make the invasion right, either morally or pragmatically. The fact that Saddam was a brutal dictator was merely a pretext used by colonialists amid bald-faced lies about a biochemical arsenal that didn't exist and ties to al Qaida that weren't there. Iraq was invaded to seize oil, not Saddam. That Saddam is taken is good news, but the only good thing that will come of this unless Bush is pushed out of the way.

The left was right on all counts. As it turns out, Saddam was a paper tiger; there was no immanent threat. Insofar as he was a threat, Saddam was contained; for twelve years since being expelled from Kuwait, all his saber rattling was nothing but bluster. Saddam had no ties to al Qaida, let alone any part in the September 11 attacks. What Islamic fundamentalist terror organization operated in Iraq operated in Kurdish regions beyond Saddam's control. The left said there was no justification for the war, and there was none. The left was right.

The left said talk of the Iraqi people welcoming the invaders with open arms and roses was nonsense. The Iraqi people know the difference between liberation and colonial occupation. They are resisting occupation. Also decried as nonsense was talk of going into Iraq to democratize the Middle East. Bush loses and election and seizes power, tramples on the Bill of Rights and human rights treaties, operates what should be an open government in secret and sends troops into combat after giving false justifications for the act. The idea that such a man would be interested in bringing democracy and the rule of law to Iraq is ludicrous. The colonial regime represses freedom of the press, the right to assemble and the right to petition for redress of grievances. The Iraqi Governing Council is a group of quislings handpicked by the US colonial viceroy, not a body representative of or responsible to the Iraqi people. The invasion has not brought democracy to Iraq. The left was right.

The left said that Bush's cronies would profit from the invasion. Halliburton and Bechtel received contracts to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure without having to bid competitively. The left was right.

The left said the occupation following the invasion woulb become a quagmire. Since the invasion, Islamists have come to Iraq to fight Americans. They weren't there before, but they are now. Half of the US army's combat divisions are in Iraq on occupation duty. They are not protecting Americans from terrorists; they are protecting Halliburton. Once again, the left was right.

Mr. Henderson's piece is merely another vein attempt to use Saddam to justify Bush's lies. This is nothing more than typical rightwing, colonialist obfuscation and propaganda. Now matter how many tons of steer manure the right wing reprocesses into ink, it will not change the truth. The left was right.