On September 11, 2001 the United States was assaulted by three hijacked commercial airliners. A fourth jet crashed into a Pennsylvania field. 9/11 shocked the nation and its populace sought revenge. The President, CIA, and FBI laid the blame on supporters of Osama Bin Ladin. The Al-Quada leader was living in Afghanistan and the Pentagon quickly arranged for long-range bombing raids on the Taliban in control of that land-locked country. Northern Forces swept south to Kabul driving the Islamic fundamentalists from power. The operation was a complete success and an increased military presence accompanied by political presence of mind might have been consolidated the victory, except the neo-cons under GW Bush had switched their focus from Afghanistan to Iraq.
They wanted regime change to alter the status quo in the MIddle East and the president’s men convinced a vengeful nation that Saddam had a hand in 9/11. His Weapons of Mass Destruction were a threat to American interests around the region. The prediction was that an invasion of Iraq could be done on the cheap; $50 billion doors and the troops would be in country for a very short period.
The Shock and Awe campaign shook the foundations of the Baathist government and the conquest of Saddam took weeks instead of months. GW Bush landed on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and declared ‘Mission accomplished’ on May 1, 2003.
He was wrong about weapons of mass destruction and terribly wrong about ‘mission accomplished’. Us troops lost over 4000 troops and the Iraqi civilian population suffered from ‘friendly fire’ and an aggressive suicide campaign by insurgents seeking to oust the occupying foreigners as well as settle old scores based on the religious fractures within the Shiite and Sunni communities. The list of mistakes made by the US leaders only worsened the situation. Looting, torture, summary executions, indiscriminate killing by US mercenaries, IUDs ad nauseum showed the ineptitude of the Defense Secretary and the callousness of the Vice President, yet the President refused to cut and run.
He wanted victory.
It never came in his term and today the last US troops pulled out of Iraq, except for 157 soldiers protecting the US embassy in Bagdhad.
The Second Iraq War is over for the USA, but it certainly was no victory. $1 trillion doesn’t buy much when it’s spent by fuck-ups like the Bush regime, but it is over and Private First Class Martin Lamb said it best at the Kuwaiti border.
“Part of history, you know – we’re the last ones out.”
Just in time for Christmas.
One down and one big one to go.
Bring the troops home.