What are we doing in Iraq?
 

I'm not asking this to be smart-ass, but I've serisouly lost the plot on this one. Without getting into an involved back-story of political debates, can someone please just explain to me in simple terms: What are we doing in Iraq? Why are we in Iraq? That simple question should have an answer that can be clearly stated and clearly understood. If someone could explain it to me, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Because Saddam was an imminent threat to the USA with his bountiful WMDs.

No, Wait. It was because we wanted his oil.

No, wait. It's the flypaper. We wanted all the terrorists to come to Iraq so we could 'bring it on' in one convenient location.

No, wait. It was because we needed to get our troops out of Saudi Arabia, and Iraq is a nice central location in the region to base them.

No, wait. It's because Bush always wanted to finish his father's job.

Take your pick. I'm sure there are other possible reasons too.

I don't think anyone knows.

You want the official answer, right Flint? The one that the government is using? To topple a brutal dictator that was a serious threat to the United States and to give Iraqis freedom from said dictator.

The real answer...pffft! We'll never really know...

Babysitting a civil war.

Diversion from Osama

The Domino Theory

Some kind of profit for Bush


The world may never know.

Because as long as we stay, we won't have lost yet.

There has to be a reason, or we wouldn't be doing it, right? Someone will surely be able to explain this to me.

So I can spend billions trying to fill up my gas tank?

The official reason was that Saddam Hussein wasn't complying fully with the weapons inspections, and we thought he still had the weapons of mass destruction he had years before.

I have no idea if that's the real reason.

If your question is "why are we still there?" I think the answer has more to do with Bush's psychology.

Did we think he had an inter-continental delivery system? Does the current objective consist of staying there until we find these weapons?

Yep, he's a megalomaniac who can't admit when he's wrong (see: new-cue-lar)

I don't want this to turn into a Bush-bashing thread. I'm asking a serious question here. People don't spend billions of dollars, and send their sons and daughters off to die, for no reason whatsoever. So, there has to be a reason. I don't know what it is so I'm seriously asking. Why are we in Iraq and what is our objective? There has to be one.

Sorry, shouldn't bash, I know. I just don't get the answer either...and from everything I've seen no one can enlighten you. So I had to look at what I perceive to be the common denominator.

Certainly someone can give a better answer, and I would love to learn from that too.

I do apologize about the bashing...that gets us nowhere.

It's not just one single objective.

The big one: this was (and probably still is) an attempt to create a lawful, productive, pro-western nation containing US military bases, in the center of the middle east and directly bordering several "problem countries", without seeming in any way to declare war on Islam specifically in any way.

See the Project for the New American Century page.