Replies to post #24422 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[goodluck]

<<One of the many tragic ironies of the Iraq fiasco is that Bush41 was all too aware of what a nightmare it would be to occupy Iraq. He at least had the smarts to avoid the mess that 43 has dragged us into.>>
If he was indeed aware of the nightmare, then I don't understand how could he have allowed his son to do this. He had plenty of time to stop him, there were plenty of excuses for Dubya to pull back. In fact, I would guess that if he had pulled back, and if he had managed to cement some sort of real coalition against Saddam, he would have won a lot of praise for showing up Saddam the bully, and could have done more against Osama and al Qaeda.

[SoxFan]

I'm not sure Bush41 thought about it that much. After all wasn't it Bush41 that did this

"We have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts, like your border disagreement with Kuwait."

It is perhaps one of the most famous lines of the Persian Gulf War.
The venue was a July 25, 1990, meeting between U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie and President Saddam Hussein.
In two years as ambassador to Iraq, it was her first private audience with Saddam. And it was her last.
A week later, on Aug. 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and to some, Glaspie's statement would symbolize appeasement in offering a "green light" to invade.
Glaspie's statement, and her "belief" that Iraq did not want to have a war, is cited as proof of ineptitude.
We now know that Glaspie presented exactly Washington's stance, and was, in fact, a minor player in a long-standing White House policy of support and accommodation for Iraq. Saddam Hussein may have been given a green light to invade, but April Glaspie can hardly be blamed.