So, the other week, I was on my little mini-vacation and having quite a nice dinner when I started listening in on a conversation amongst several gentlemen at a larger table behind me. For the most part, their conversions had been full of nothing more than random topics, but then politics came up. Of course, when it comes to politics, everyone gets louder and more animated so it was pretty difficult to not listen in on their conversation. Unfortunately, their conversation drifted towards the Iraq war and that’s when I had this (almost) overwhelming urge to butt-in and question the flawed logic of one of the gentlemen’s main arguments: FDR manipulated Congress and the country into joining the war against the Germans.
Do I dispute the fact that FDR lied through his teeth about not wanting to go to war just to gain the short-term support he needed to position this country to be ready for the inevitable? Nope. Not one bit. Do I wish to argue the relevance of that fact to what George W. Bush did to get us into the Iraq war? You betcha.
It’s pretty safe to say Hitler would have taken as much territory as he could possibly take, and he was quite capable of conquering quite a bit of territory. Fortunately for the rest of the world, Hitler had made a few mistakes along the way that pretty much sealed his fate. Germany and her allies had most of Europe locked down. Their main obstacle would have been Great Britain, and if Hitler had any real sense, he would have used Russia to help break Britain instead of turning on Russia. Basically, that entire part of the world was in chaos and the clusterfuck would have only become worse if America hadn’t joined in the fray.
In all honesty, I think it’s pretty safe to believe that if things had played out a little differently and Japan hadn’t attacked Pearl Harbor, the world might look a lot different today. Who knows, Germany might have even been able to invade/occupy parts of the Americas. As I said before, FDR maneuvered around the country’s Neutrality Act in a manner to support our eventual allies in the war while, technically, staying out of the war just enough to help keep the Allies in the game. Like it or not, FDR’s actions were necessary to keep the door open for the inevitable (hindsight being 20/20 and all).
Now, we have Iraq. A country which was run by a seriously screwed up individual (like Hitler) who probably would have loved nothing more than to control large swaths of land and people throughout the region. Unfortunately, old Soviet tanks and soldiers who turn tail at the sight of a Warthog (the A10 Thunderbolt variety) can only get you so far, and Saddam Hussein was forced to take his tiny penis syndrome out on his own people (and sometimes Kuwait). In short, Saddam and Iraq posed less of a threat to the world than the bird flu.
George W. Bush felt that Iraq was such a threat to the security of the world and to our nation that he, like FDR, did what he could to maneuver the country into a position to go to war. Obviously, there are some differences and most of those don’t need to be mentioned…or reiterated (notice I said “most”). Prior to the Iraq war, we were already at war in another country (and with terrorists in general). Not so much in WWII. The most glaring difference is that anytime Saddam decided to misbehave, a few well-placed smart bombs put him in his place and he’d have to come up with another plan (kinda like GI Joe versus Cobra).
The world never was, or never has been, threatened by Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Comparing the threat from Iraq with the threat from Nazi Germany is like comparing the common cold to the Ebola virus: apples and oranges. Was Saddam a bad man that needed to be stopped? Yes. Was he worth the beating American has taken in terms of personal losses, monetary losses and loss of respect in the international community? Hell no. Was Hitler and his Nazis a group of baddies that needed to be stopped? Yes. Was stopping them from taking over large amounts of territories and committing genocide on a grand scale worth what we lost? Hell yes.
Am I belittling the sacrifices that the men and women of this country have made in our war in Iraq? Not in the least. They’re doing the best they can with what the cards they’ve been dealt. Should they even be in the situation? Absolutely not. The world would not have ended with Saddam alive and kicking. So, please, before you begin justifying Bush’s actions with Iraq and comparing him to FDR of all people, I implore you, think before you speak.
