Inevitably the leftist press will circle back and state that ‘only if Bush hadn’t attacked Iraq’ this would have never happened. With that in mind it is instructive to recall some facts.
An op-ed in the liberal NYT in 2003.
President Bush sketched an expansive vision last night of what he expects to accomplish by a war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on eliminating weapons of mass destruction, or reducing the threat of terror to the United States, Mr. Bush talked about establishing a ”free and peaceful Iraq” that would serve as a ”dramatic and inspiring example” to the entire Arab and Muslim world, provide a stabilizing influence in the Middle East and even help end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The idea of turning Iraq into a model democracy in the Arab world is one some members of the administration have been discussing for a long time. But it is not one that Mr. Bush has devoted much effort to selling to the American people. Most Americans would certainly rally around the idea of a strong, stable and open government in Iraq. But they haven’t been prepared for the cost of such an undertaking. For most people, the vision of a new gulf war is one of relatively quick victory, not years of American occupation.
In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute, the president described an undertaking that resembled American efforts in post-World-War-II Japan and Germany. This week Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army chief of staff, said he believed that hundreds of thousands of soldiers would have to remain on Iraqi soil to create a stable environment for democratic change. Mr. Bush, a man who ran for office scoffing at the idea of ”nation-building,” is now betting his presidency on that idea.
Notice the ‘expansive vision.. instead of focusing on eliminating weapons of mass destruction’ but for the current crop of leftist the only thing that matters is the letters W, M & D..
Joe Biden in 2010, emphasis added.
I am very optimistic about — about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You’re going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You’re going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government
Barrack Obama in 2011, emphasis added.
Iraq’s future will be in the hands of its people. America’s war in Iraq will be over” he remarked. And “Iraq is not a perfect place. It has many challenges ahead. But we’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people. We’re building a new partnership between our nations.
Obama and his administration took ownership of Iraq and if Iraq is one of those ‘root cause’ then the blame lies with Obama..