Posted on Oct 18, 2015
Did the recent public release of the Downing Street Memo change your view on the validity of the Iraq Invasion and Occupation?
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I'm not linking to the memo because I'm not 100% sure of the current classification; however, there are plenty of news outlets and other sites that give the gist.
Short version is that the memo claims that the Bush administration had already decided to invade Iraq up to a year before the actual invasion and built its justification around a foregone conclusion.
Does any of that change your perception of the war itself, your service in it, or the sacrifices made and lives lost? Did the ends justify the means or the motivation? What, if anything should be done to keep similar events from happening again? Should there be consequences for those directly involved who knew the issues? Were Servicemembers who refused to deploy justified in those actions and should their punishments be rescinded? Was it an illegal war and were the orders to deploy illegal orders?
So many questions!
Short version is that the memo claims that the Bush administration had already decided to invade Iraq up to a year before the actual invasion and built its justification around a foregone conclusion.
Does any of that change your perception of the war itself, your service in it, or the sacrifices made and lives lost? Did the ends justify the means or the motivation? What, if anything should be done to keep similar events from happening again? Should there be consequences for those directly involved who knew the issues? Were Servicemembers who refused to deploy justified in those actions and should their punishments be rescinded? Was it an illegal war and were the orders to deploy illegal orders?
So many questions!
Posted in these groups: 
Iraq
Warfare
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Office of the President (POTUS)
George W. Bush
Iraq Warfare Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Office of the President (POTUS) George W. Bush
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 20
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
I think it's full of poop myself. How would a foreign journalist get a hold of a classified US document?
My opinion is that it is another leftist attack on GW, yet another attempt to place the blame "on my predecessor" if you will.
With that said, it does not change my feelings about the war. Also, anyone who refused to deploy were justly punished. I also feel the same way about people who refuse to deploy because they claimed that Obama was/is not a US citizen, etc., etc., etc.
I think it's full of poop myself. How would a foreign journalist get a hold of a classified US document?
My opinion is that it is another leftist attack on GW, yet another attempt to place the blame "on my predecessor" if you will.
With that said, it does not change my feelings about the war. Also, anyone who refused to deploy were justly punished. I also feel the same way about people who refuse to deploy because they claimed that Obama was/is not a US citizen, etc., etc., etc.
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
1. It's not a US document. It's a British document.
2. There are a lot of classified documents out in the public venues that all journalists have access to - ie. Snowden Documents, Manning Documents, Ellsberg Documents.
Although it is a good question, I think there is significant evidence that this memo is real. I don't see it as any kind of political attack on either party at this time, or an attempt to blame any current events on anyone in the past. It's really just shedding light on a topic for historical perspective - and I think knowing the truth is important, especially when we're talking about sending people to war.
2. There are a lot of classified documents out in the public venues that all journalists have access to - ie. Snowden Documents, Manning Documents, Ellsberg Documents.
Although it is a good question, I think there is significant evidence that this memo is real. I don't see it as any kind of political attack on either party at this time, or an attempt to blame any current events on anyone in the past. It's really just shedding light on a topic for historical perspective - and I think knowing the truth is important, especially when we're talking about sending people to war.
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MAJ James Woods
Yep. Technology has allowed classified information to leak more easily these days and it's only gonna get worse. Sure the left loves any source that makes the Bush administration look like the Nixon administration. But the right is doing a lot to justify their recommendations for combat operations in Syria, Iran, etc. that's a bunch of poop too!
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SFC (Join to see)
My view on Iraq was that I was ordered to go. I didn't care about the politics. I was determined to complete the mission and get myself and the Soldiers to my left and right home. With that being said, going in was probably a mistake, and pulling out was a bigger mistake. If we create a power vacuum, we have to stick around to keep something worse from filling it.
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Not at all sir, For several reasons. 1) the yellow cake reasoning was Intel (later to be proven to be false) that was given to us by our allies (Britain, Germany, and others and was a major factor in deciding to go to war). 2) WMD was proven true by the UN itself as reported by CNN within a month prior to the invasion (Han Blix reported finding 12 warheads, 11 were empty and the 12th had chemicals in it. Iraq wasn't to have EITHER the chemicals OR the means of delivery per the UN resolutions.) 3) On a daily basis, Iraqi AAA fired at our aircraft enforcing the "No Fly Zone" which is an act of war. 4) Ties to terrorism, we found an abandoned Al Qaeda training camp in Baghdad as well as wounded AQ members from Afghanistan would go to Iraq for treatment and recovery. 5) Other than the WMD resolution, Saddam intentionally violated every resolution imposed after the Gulf War. Reasons 2 through 5 are enough (each on their own) by international law to justify our invasion in Iraq. That being said, I fully support our involvement in Iraq, but I don't support the bumbling fiasco of how it was run by Bush and Rumsfeld.
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I use to yell, "Finish Strong!" at the APFTs. My concern in Iraq is, can we finish strong? Can the Iraqis finish strong?
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