3 yr anniversary of the invasion of Baghdad
According to the National Priorities Project, we’ve spent $248 billion of the war in Iraq. 2,314 Americans have died. What have we accomplished? We have removed Saddam Hussain from power. Unfortunately, his trial has become an Iraqi version of the Montel Williams show. The biggest problem, for me, is that Iraq has diverted attention away from Afghanistan. We have not rebuilt, built, infrastructure in Afghanistan. Therefore, there is no disincentive not to grow poppy. Afghanistan is currently the number one producer of heroin in the world. Afghanistan receives more income from the sale of heroin than from any other single source. There were more American deaths in Afghanistan last year than there were during the invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban are regrouping and reforming.
Some neoconservatives will try to convince us that Afghanistan is a success story and that is too early to tell in Iraq. Success in Afghanistan, for me, would be a stable government, the complete and total destruction of the Taliban (this includes killing or capturing the Taliban leaders). Success in Iraq, would include peace and prosperity for the Iraqi people. Outside of the Kurds in the north I’m not sure that any of the Shi’ites or Sunnis would say that they have obtained peace and prosperity.
