Four years have passed since the United States invaded Iraq. We still don't know why we invaded. At first we were told it was because of weapons of mass destruction. Later we learned that there were no such weapons, and the Bush administration knew there were none. The WMD story was a big lie.
Then we were told that Saddam Hussein was a really bad guy and everyone is better off without him. Maybe so, but the power figures left in the vacuum of his abdication are certainly no better. Muqtada Al Sadr is also a very bad guy. So are the Sunni insurgents.
We were told that the United States was allowing freedom and democracy to spread throughout the Middle East. That whole project hasn't worked out so well. Hugo Chavez was the product of a sort of democracy, and Bush sure doesn't like him. So is the current president of Iran, who wants to drive Israel into the sea.
So we would just like to know why we invaded Iraq. No one has ever told us the truth.
We suspect it was for the huge oil reservoirs and infrastructure. We suppose it was to situate us strategically in the Persian Gulf, where much of our oil is drilled. We suppose this was really all about oil and not about Saddam Hussein, democracy or weapons. It was probably all about control.
President Bush did not tell us on March 19, when he addressed the topic. He instead urged patience. Patience for what, we are not certain. And if Bush told us what we should be patient for --freedom, stability, regional cooperation, or cheaper oil prices -- we are not sure we could believe him.
Art Cullen is editor of The Storm Lake (Ia.) Times. Email times@stormlake.com
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