Fantasy of U.S. Winning in Iraq

Senator John McCain repeatedly stated that the U.S. must keep troops in Iraq until the war, that he help start, was won. The question was, "What constitutes winning?"

"Win" is defined as succeeding in reaching an objective. The question is, "What were the objectives in starting a war that would kill hundreds of thousands of people?"

The objectives stated by President George W. Bush included:

• Halt the production of chemical weapons.
  

• Halt the production of Nuclear weapons.
  

• Retaliate for Iraq's role in the 9/11 attacks.
  

• Remove the head of a sovereign nation.
  

• Spread democracy throughout the Middle East.

What actually happened:

• There were no chemical weapons, which was obvious before the invasion.
  

• There was no production of nuclear weapons, as was obvious before the invasion.
  

• Iraq had no role in the 9/11 attacks.
  

• Several hundred thousand Iraqis were brutally killed.
  

• Over 12,000 American GIs killed, maimed, or wounded.
  

• Increased the influence of Iran, the very opposite of U. S. goals.
  

• Converting Iraq from a former pro-western society into a radical religious country.
  

• Greatest increase in the number of people, worldwide, that want to kill Americans.
  

• Loss of respect for the United States throughout the world.
  

• An estimated to trillion dollars cost for the invasion.
  

• Indirect cost, into hundreds of billions, for the increased price of oil that would not otherwise have occurred.
  

• Terrorist threats will continue for decades.
  

• Bogged down in Iraq for years, ultimately  resulting in a humiliating Vietnam-like evacuation.
  

• Diverted from going after the Taliban that was in Afghanistan, enabling Afghanistan to be taken over by the Taliban.
  

• Plus many other present and future adverse consequences.