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Originally posted by Undertoad
Why the Bush admin. didn't make the humanity case: well now that I think about it, they DID -- the case just didn't "take".
They didn't press it and make it the major point for war, and the reason they didn't do that, I think, is that it's generally a good idea to use only as much political capital as you have to.
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As opposed to what actually happened, which was a case study in minimizing the use of political capital?
I'm sorry, I still don't buy it. Bush's flacks are masters at getting the press to report what they want to report. If the administration had wanted the humanity case in the foreground, they would have gotten it there. The international community response may or may not have been different, but it could hardly have been worse than where we are now.
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Bush could NOT go on TV and say "We need to turn Iraq into a successful democracy because it will probably destabilize Syria and Saudi Arabia, and we can't do that any other way without screwing up the oil market and hosing the whole world for a decade."
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When is somebody going to start a "Manhattan Project" for alternative fuels? The only reason anybody gives a damn about these places is that they're sitting on top of oil. Remove the value of that oil and all of a sudden it doesn't matter a whole lot what's going on there. Surely reducing American dependence on foreign oil is a cause that conservatives and liberals can all agree is in the short- and long-term strategic interests of our country? Oh, shit, it would also reduce dependence on domestic oil producers. Never mind.
Besides, I see no signs that anybody really wants Iraq to be a successful democracy. Oh sure, everybody gives it lip service, but again, if they wanted it, they'd be trying harder.