| One of the most misleading arguments
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| | the world -- an army that both the Soviet
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| against the American involvement in Iraq
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| | Union and the United States had helped to
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| today is the false comparison many people
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| | create -- was being turned against two
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| make to the Vietnam conflict. Vietnam
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| | long-time American allies; Kuwait Saudi
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| left a bitterness in our hearts that is
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| | Arabia.Why are they long-time American
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| both irrational and completely
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| | allies? Because President Franklin
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| unnecessary. And now unscrupulous people
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| | Roosevelt realized that the United States
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| are using that bitterness to fuel support
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| | would need a secure supply of foreign
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| for the anti-war movement.During the
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| | oil. So he arranged for a mutual defense
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| Vietnam War, Americans suffered through
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| | treaty with Saudi Arabia that has been
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| two conflicts. The fighting overseas was
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| | honored and in force for about 70 years.
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| no more bitter or sectarian than the
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| | People don't invade Saudi Arabia because
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| disagreements we experienced among
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| | the United States won't allow it, not
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| ourselves here at home. The war was
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| | because everyone loves the
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| unpopular because the United States did
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| | Saudis.Nonetheless, like Hitler before
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| not enter it with a goal to win or a
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| | him, once Saddam set himself on the path
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| strategy for resolving the core conflict.
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| | to war, he couldn't stop himself. So we
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| We invaded Iraq with the intention of
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| | fought the First Persian Gulf War to stop
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| toppling Saddam Hussein's government and
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| | the advance of Saddam's armies into Saudi
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| replacing it with a more peaceful, stable
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| | Arabia. We freed Kuwait in the process,
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| government.Presidents John F. Kennedy and
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| | but when the Kurds and Shiite Iraqis
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| Lyndon B. Johnson, who committed American
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| | rebelled against Saddam, we did nothing.
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| forces to battle, viewed the Vietnam
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| | The first President Bush, like Presidents
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| conflict as a proxy battle between the
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| | Nixon and Reagan before him, simply
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| two superpowers (the United States and
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| | walked away from a destabilized situation
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| the Soviet Union). To the Vietnamese,
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| | American foreign policy had created.
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| the conflict was always about whether the
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| | When the world asked President Bush what
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| North would dominate the South.In fact,
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| | should be done about Saddam, he said that
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| anyone familiar with Vietnamese history
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| | was up to the Iraqi people. But when the
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| understands that for the past 1500 years
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| | Iraqi people failed to defeat Saddam's
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| the Vietnamese peoples have repeatedly
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| | remaining forces, the United States did
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| fought each other in addition to
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| | nothing.Well, that's not entirely true.
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| outsiders. The conflict between North
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| | We persuaded the United Nations to impose
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| Vietnam and South Vietnam was deeply
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| | 12 years' worth of sanctions on Iraq.
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| rooted in ancient rivalries and cultural
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| | Those sanctions, intended to punish
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| distinctions.Today, people frequently
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| | Saddam for his bad behavior, had the most
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| criticize the American exit-policy of
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| | direct impact on the Iraqi people. Some
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| "Vietnamization", by which we
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| | non-governmental organizations have
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| substantially transferred the
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| | estimated that as many as 50,000 Iraqi
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| responsibility for the conflict back to
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| | children suffered from malnutrition every
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| the South Vietnamese. Many Americans
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| | year (many of them dying from lack of
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| believe the South Vietnamese people did
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| | basic care). If the estimates are
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| not stand up for themselves. In reality,
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| | accurate, about 500,000 Iraqi children
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| more than 240,000 South Vietnamese
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| | died during the years of the sanctions.
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| soldiers died defending their country.The
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| | If they are only 1/10th true, as many as
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| truth of the matter is that the South
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| | 50,000 Iraqi children died.From 2002 to
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| Vietnamese were simply overwhelmed by a
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| | the end of 2005, fewer than 50,000 Iraqi
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| more determined, better organized enemy.
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| | civilians are believed to have been
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| They were conquered by a neighboring,
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| | killed in the insurgency. So far,
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| rival nation. From the days of Ho Chi
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| | history indicates that our peaceful
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| Minh, North Vietnam's goal was to conquer
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| | policies toward Saddam were deadlier for
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| the south. Ho's ambition was no
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| | the Iraqi people than the aftermath of
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| different from the many kings and
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| | our invasion.Iraq today stands on the
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| emperors who invaded southern Vietnam in
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| | brink of new nationhood. Technically,
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| past centuries.American foreign policy in
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| | like Afghanistan, Iraq now has a new
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| the 1960s was strongly influenced by the
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| | government that has been sanctioned by at
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| Domino Theory. Thanks to President
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| | least a majority of its people. The
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| Franklin Roosevelt and President Harry
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| | insurgency in Iraq, unlike the Viet Cong
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| Truman, we had seen how the Domino Theory
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| | insurgency of the 1960s, is not being
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| could work in eastern Europe. We gave
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| | directed by a foreign power which intends
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| the Soviet Union effective control over
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| | to invade and conquer Iraq.Of course, it
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| Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria,
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| | could be argued that Al Qaida would now
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| and other nations. When Communist
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| | very much like to see the United States
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| influence became rooted in North Vietnam
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| | leave Iraq before the new Iraqi
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| as well as China, American leaders feared
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| | government can defend itself. But
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| that all of Asia might succumb. Given
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| | despite its widespread reach, Al Qaida is
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| enough allies, the Soviet Union might
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| | not a country. Its leadership is not the
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| have proven willing to start another
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| | seasoned leadership of a formal state
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| world war.How realistic was this fear?
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| | government. Al Qaida can no more restore
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| We'll never know. What we do know is
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| | stability to Iraq than any well organized
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| that American foreign policy was based on
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| | militia or street gang would be able
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| the assumption that the Soviet Union
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| | to.And that's the problem we face in Iraq
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| intended to export its brand of communism
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| | today. It's not that if we stay someone
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| throughout the world.Ironically, today's
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| | will continue to drain our resources year
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| Iraq was shaped in part by that American
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| | after year. It's that, when we leave,
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| foreign policy. Because we feared Soviet
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| | there will be no one to fill the vacuum
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| use of nuclear weapons, we used proxy
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| | -- except Al Qaida.For all the bitterness
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| nations to wage our wars throughout the
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| | between the United States and Vietnam's
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| 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Iraq became one
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| | Communist government, we have nonetheless
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| of our proxies after Iran fell into the
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| | been at peace for 30 years and we are now
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| control of Ayatollah Khomeini and his
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| | on the brink of normalizing relations.
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| Islamic revolutionaries. Because
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| | Millions of people suffered terribly in
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| Khomeini's Iran humiliated the United
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| | the wake of the fall of South Vietnam,
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| States and became hostile, we used Iraq
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| | but the United States and other nations
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| to punish the Iranian people. At the
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| | opened their doors to many refugees from
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| same time, our support for Iraq ensured
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| | South Vietnam. They have had a hard
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| that the Soviet Union didn't acquire more
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| | life, but they have been given an
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| influence in the Middle East (and it
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| | opportunity to start over.We Americans
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| already had a proxy in Syria).The problem
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| | need to accept responsibility for our
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| with using Iraq, or any nation, as a
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| | government's foreign policies. Those
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| proxy is that American leadership doesn't
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| | policies have fueled the resentment that
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| take into consideration cultural values
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| | drives support to terrorist groups like
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| or conflicts. For example, when the
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| | Al Qaida. But those policies created
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| Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the
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| | the reasons we had to invade both
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| United States did not hesitate to provide
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| | Afghanistan and Iraq.President Bush's
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| help to the Mujahedeen. We paid for
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| | political enemies, bitter and resentful
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| their war against the Soviets, but we did
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| | over his election to the Presidency in
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| nothing to ensure a quick defeat of
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| | 2000, have ceaselessly burdened the
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| Soviet troops. Instead, we helped keep
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| | American people with propaganda that is
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| the war going until the Soviet simply
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| | really only intended to help bring the
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| became so tired of the conflict they went
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| | Democratic party back into power.
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| home.Sound familiar? That was what they
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| | Virtually all of the major voices of
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| did to us in Vietnam. The Soviet Union
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| | opposition are long-time Democrats and
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| supported North Vietnam in the hope that
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| | supporters of the Democratic Party.There
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| we would get tired and go home.When the
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| | is an old saying: in every war, the truth
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| Soviets left Afghanistan, so did we.
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| | is the first victim of the conflict. We
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| When we left South Vietnam, North Vietnam
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| | are today fighting many more conflicts
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| began asserting its own agenda. North
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| | than we faced 30 years ago. President
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| Vietnam no longer needed the Soviet
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| | Bush's policies may be no better than
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| Union. Afghanistan, on the other hand,
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| | those of Franklin Roosevelt and John
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| had no alternative to Soviet power. The
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| | Kennedy, but his hand is to some extent
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| various warlords who had helped defeat
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| | guided by their hands.Americans don't
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| the Soviets attempted to form a new
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| | have to like President Bush. We don't
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| government in Afghanistan but they fell
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| | have to respect his intelligence. But we
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| to fighting among themselves.
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| | should not allow political activists to
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| Eventually, Afghanistan was left without
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| | hand us our feelings on a platter of
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| a central government (much like Somalia,
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| | lies.But if we choose to walk away from
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| another failed American experiment).The
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| | Iraq before the Iraqi government has a
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| Taliban rose up to fill the vacuum in
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| | reasonable chance of surviving, if we
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| Afghanistan, and because they had no
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| | allow the Iraqi insurgents to do what the
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| support from America and no ties to
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| | Viet Cong could not do, if we refuse to
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| American culture, they never became our
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| | accept responsibility for what we have
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| friends. Instead, they befriended the
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| | done in the past, we'll have to return to
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| extremely anti-American Al Qaida. So we
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| | Iraq when it has fallen into the wrong
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| eventually had to topple the Taliban in
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| | hands.After the First World War, we
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| order to drive Al Qaida out of
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| | refused to participate in the League of
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| Afghanistan.We have not yet had to return
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| | Nations and subsequently found ourselves
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| to Vietnam to drive anyone out of South
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| | embroiled in the Second World War.We
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| Vietnam. In fact, we're in the process
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| | walked away from South Vietnam and now
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| of establishing normal relations with the
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| | every petty conflict is wrongly compared
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| Vietnamese government.The difference
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| | to the Vietnam war. People regard
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| between Vietnam and Afghanistan is that
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| | America as weak, vacillating, and
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| when we left South Vietnam, another
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| | unreliable. Worse, they think we can be
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| government moved in and imposed its will
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| | beaten just by waiting longer than we are
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| on the South Vietnamese people. When we
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| | willing to wait.We used Iraq to punish
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| left Afghanistan, no one cared enough to
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| | Iran and only walked away after Saddam
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| do anything.We used Iraq to weaken an
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| | began using chemical weapons
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| enemy state (Iran) just as we used
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| | indiscriminantly. In doing so, we
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| Afghanistan to weaken an enemy state (the
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| | ensured we would have to fight Iraq in at
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| Soviet Union). This was the lesson we
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| | least two wars.We used Afghanistan to
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| learned from Vietnam. When you don't
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| | punish the Soviet Union and then we
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| want to fight a war, but you want to
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| | walked away without helping the Afghan
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| defeat an enemy, get someone else to
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| | people build a stable new government. In
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| fight your enemy until the enemy can
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| | doing so, we laid the foundations for
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| fight no more.However, when the Iraq-Iran
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| | September 11.If we walk away from Iraq
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| conflict ended, the United States did
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| | today before it is time for us to leave,
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| nothing to ensure that Saddam Hussein,
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| | we'll pay a heavy price in the future.
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| who had become used to mobilizing his
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| | So history has shown us.We need to stay
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| people for war against his neighbors,
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| | in Iraq simply because we should be tired
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| would stand down and become a peaceful
| |
| | of making horrendously bad
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| regional power. Saddam's ambition to
| |
| | mistakes.Michael Martinez writes essays
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| control huge oil reserves (which had led
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| | on a variety of topics. He also operates
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| him to attack Iran in the first place)
| |
| | a popular network of Web sites devoted
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| led him to look south instead of
| |
| | primarily to science fiction and fantasy.
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| east.Suddenly, the fourth largest army in
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| |
|
