The Pros of the Iraq War

Welch 1 Jack Welch Mr. Williams English 102/ Sec 022 28 February 2008 The “Good” of the Iraq War The war waging in Iraq is the biggest argument in the United States today. There are two sides to this argument, as there is any every case. Either you are a supporter of the war, or you don’t support the war. Though you can’t be in the middle because this issue is far to important no to care about. In the spring of 2003, President George Bush declared war against Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.
President Bush strongly believed that Saddam either had or was harboring weapons of mass destruction.He gave Saddam a forty-eight hour deadline to remove them. Saddam did nothing. In result, we invaded Iraq. It took only weeks for the most powerful army in the world to take over this weak country. Then the hunt for the weapons of mass destruction began. Come to find out, no weapons were found.
Only a few rockets filled with nerve agents. Later on, Saddam was found hiding in a hole under a house outside a small village. Since then, the Americans have been trying to run this country. Although most of the Iraqi’s are glad we have taken out Saddam, there is a small half that is not, and has been making the rebuilding process very difficult.I am very much for the war and I hope to further solidify my stance on this subject, by uncovering more evidence in my research to lead me in my thinking that I am correct. 1. Chomsky, Noam.

“Good News, Iraq and Beyond. ” ZNet. Feb 16, 2008. http://www. zcommunications. org/znet/viewArticle/16522 Noam Chomsky says that the Iraq War is not the main issue in American politics. He also states that, that is a good thing.
This year’s presidential candidates are not stressing about how they will help the U. S escape Iraq; they are stressing others important issues. The U. S. ccupying army in Iraq carries out regular studies of popular attitudes, a crucial component of population control measures. In December 2007, the government released a survey that was very upbeat. And that if we continue to receive positive feedback, than we will gain more support.
The survey provides very strong evidence that the Iraqi people are glad that we are there. They are glad to be free, because all people should be free. Also, the survey picked up that numerous Iraqis’ are starting to share beliefs. Which will ultimately cease these civil wars that have been raging on for the past three years.He talks about another poll taken in January, which says Americans are dissatisfied with our U. S. foreign policy.
Welch 2 So while the Iraqis’ are grateful for it, we choose to bash it. And the less we support the war, the less financial support we can give to the people of Iraq. 2. Hitchens, Christopher. “ Something To Give Thanks For. ” Slate. Nov 19, 2007.
http://www. slate. com/id/2178286/ Hitchens says, “Iraq has started to recover command of their own country”. And that America has helped them do so. Most of Baghdad’s street lamps have come on last week for the first time in years.It’s just a small step towards rebuilding, but a progress nonetheless. Hot spots in different neighborhoods are starting to dwindle down as everyone is starting to want the same outcome.
Which is a free Iraq, not a nation who lives in fear of their dictator. Also with the supplies running out on the enemies, it is making it easier to over power them. He supports his stance on ‘good news’ by giving facts and evidence. He tells us of lighting and power coming back as well as the fighting between groups as not being as hostile. But he contradicts his statements by saying that he doesn’t know if this is good news and if it will last.If he writes this article about good news, then he must stick with his stance and provide the type of argument that he did. Everyone needs hope and to stick to having a positive stance on everything.
If we don’t have hope for Iraq, then how can we succeed. 3. Hitchens, Christopher. “Can The Left Really Want Us To? ”. Slate. Aug 8, 2005. http://www.
slate. com/id/2124157/ Hitchens uses this article to reach out to the American people about the suffering of the Iraqi people. Either one favors the war and stresses the good, or one opposes the war and stresses the bad.The left would be the democratic party who mostly disagrees with this conflict in the middle east. The left wants us to lose because it’s a loss for the Bush administration. But he says that it is not a loss just for the Bush administration, but for America. Also he was watching the whole “Live 8” concert for Africa, and wondered why Iraq and the people their aren’t getting any support.
Hitchens makes very good points about his arguments. He brings up a great question to why these people in Iraq aren’t getting any support. But it is easy when the nation helping you is split on whether to help.We should not be the only country trying to rebuild and support of Iraq. Every free nation wanted Saddam gone because of the threat that he could turn out to be in the future. But when he is out and it is time for Welch 3 financial need, everyone just turns their head. He brings up another good point, that we are a nation.
If our presidential administration fails, then we as a nation fail. 4. Irving, Ken. “U. S. discovers huge weapons cache”. The War in Iraq.
Feb 25, 2008. http://iraqsinconvenienttruth. com/ Iraqi and American soldiers discovered a huge weapons cache on Monday.While establishing a checkpoint, an Iraqi soldier noticed that something was wrong. He saw a plastic bag on the ground and kicked it over. He heard a clink and saw bullets fall out. He notified the local American soldiers.
And they American soldiers started digging and found the biggest weapons cache since 2006. They found over 300 live mortar rounds and around 8,000 mortar shells. Also in the cache were dynamite and explosive devices. This is a very good thing that is happening. This is showing that the Iraqi forces and American forces are working together, and quite well.The cache could have been used on both forces and killed numerous soldiers on each side. Also the cache was said to aid the enemy forces for over two months.
That was some very vital teamwork by both American and Iraqi forces. It shows as well that the enemy forces are starting to fail. They are not getting their soldiers the weapons needed. So we will not encounter as many marine casualties. 5. Jackson, Stephen. “ All the ‘Good News’ from Iraq.
” AlterNet. March 25, 2006. http://www. alternet. org/waroniraq/33998/ An army wife asked President Bush why the good news in Iraq never gets reported.And president bush nodded in agreement. Almost all Iraqi news stations and reporters are reporting good news in Iraq.
They are much happier now since Saddam is out of power. In the U. S. most of the bad news is on television where most of the American people receive their news. So they are forced to believe what they hear. Also that people who are against the war, like to talk about the lives that are lost rather than the lives that are saved. Because talking about lives lost, makes their case against the war stronger.
Welch 4 The strength of his argument is very true.Not all the good is being shown to the public. It seems as if the news is just full of just the suicide bombings, the civil war, and which marines lost their lives today. He says that all of the good news is on the internet. But he fails to mention which web sites. So it’s very vague to who wrote these ‘Good’ articles. And not all the ‘Good’ news is on the internet.
Fox News network is very adamant about providing positive Iraq stories to their viewers. 6. Jefferies, Bob. “ So Far So Good For Iraq Crackdown. ” CBS News. March 18, 2007. http://www.
cbsnews. com/stories/2007/03/18/ftn/main2581896. html This article is an interview with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He says “ The U. S. troop buildup and security crackdown in Iraq shows early signs of success, and politicians in Washington must not set specific deadlines and very strict conditions for military commanders. He also goes on to say, “ I would say that the Iraqis are meeting the commitments that they have made to us, that they have made the appointments; the troops that they have promised are showing up.
They are allowing operations in all neighborhoods. There is very little political interference with military operations.So here, at the very beginning, the commitments that have been made seem to be being kept. ” His statements about the ‘Good’ being done in Iraq are very strong and convincing. He speaks the truth, when he said you can’t put a deadline on when we can leave Iraq. Gates speaks of all this ‘Good’ being done and then he throws in a negative paragraph. By saying, “ violence and instability continue to plague the country outside of Baghdad.
If your interview is all about why Iraq is a success, talking about the negatives will only contradict yourself on national television.And will discredit you in the eye of the public. 7. 0’Boyle, Colleen. “ Good News=Less News on Iraq War”. Media Research. Dec 4, 2007.
http://www. mediaresearch. org/realitycheck/2007/fax20071204. asp As surge succeeds and casualty rates fall, ABC, CBS and NBC lose interest in Iraq War. Now, all three networks have become more optimistic in their on-ground reporting from the war zone, admitting that the surge in troops and new counterinsurgency tactics have reduced the violence. And a study has come out that Welch 5 viewers are less likely to view the news with good incidents happening inIraq. With news being better these days, the major news stations are turning towards other issues.
Which is good, because it is notifying the public about other important economic or medical issues in our country today. In his article he shows a very strong graph. On the three big networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, there were only 178 news coverages from Iraq in the month of September. And the stories continued to decline with 108 in October and only 68 in November. ABC was the first to realize this trend, and CBS took the longest in changing their reports.I would not know this because I personally do not watch these television networks. I watch Fox News network, but I believe him because I don’t read to much about the war in the newspapers or when I’m flipping though channels.
8. Quinn, Patrick. “ U. S. Military Kills al- Qaida Leader”. The Huffington Post. Feb 27, 2008.
http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2008/03/02/us-military-kills-alqaid_n_89428. html A U. S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted al-Qaida in Iraq leader from Saudi Arabia who was responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers Sunday.Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul.
The growing number is now at 142; the number of al-Qaida insurgents killed or captured in Mosul since the end of January. Al-Saudi was the man who headed up the al-Qaida network in southeast Mosul, a hot battle zone where U. S. forces wage daily battles against the group. Most of the leaders captured were taken to Guan before Iraq was able to produce a functional judicial system This shows that our military is not just a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.We are neutralizing the threat against terror. Al-Qaida is our number one terrorists threat, and we have captured our killed 142 of their members.
Although we will never be able to fully dismantle Al-Qaida, we sure can dismantle it to the point where they are not a vital threat to our homeland. It also shows that Iraq is being able to function and put away the criminals that have tormented them and their country. There’re no weaknesses in this report because this is an article about military success. 9. Relin, Jon. “McCain Should Know Better”.The Huffington Post.
Feb 2, 2008. http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2008/02/28/klein-mccain-should-kno_n_88919. html Welch 6 John McCain continues to fight a different war in Iraq than the U. S. military.
It is a simple war of good v. s. evil, us v. s. Al Qaeda. He says “we’ve had good success this past year in the fight against the local branch of Al Qaeda, but we’ve had that success mostly because Iraq’s Sunni population turned on the terrorists and sent them packing”. The Sunni group is the more powerful of the two fighting religious groups in Iraq.
That with the Sunni’s as allies, it will make our time in Iraq easier, as wells as our exit strategy. Mr. McCain needs to do his research, because the Sunni population is actually much smaller than the Shi’ites. And the Shi’ites are winning the civil war between the two. This is very embarrassing for a man who is a leading candidate for the presidential election. Also it is sad that McCain isn’t giving credit towards his military but to the Islamic groups in Iraq. I think he is saying this in order to satisfy, or win over new supporters who maybe oppose the war.
This article was full of weakness and hardly and strengths. And made me re-think my commitment towards voting for Mr. John McCain and his party. 10. Wells, Richard. “Iraq Approves execution of Chemical Ali”. The Huffington Post .
Feb 25, 2008. http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2008/02/29/iraq-approves-execution-o_n_89166. html Iraqi leaders say they have found a way to execute Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali and one of Saddam Hussein’s most notorious henchmen. Mr. Majid was sentenced to death last June, and the approval of his xecution comes after months of struggling with a legal problem that seemed to mean his hanging would also send to the gallows a respected former general whose execution was opposed by many top Iraqi leaders and American commanders.
Mr. Majid will be turned over by his American jailers and executed very shortly. This is very good for two reasons. One, Iraq is getting rid of a very dangerous man. And two, they are learning two figure out things on their own. This is very good towards rebuilding. Iraq is starting to be able to make major decisions.
They have a functional judicial system that is convicting and executing many criminals. Also they were able to solve the problem legally on how to get rid of this ‘Chemical Ali”. These people are now being able to persecute and carryout execution of their biggest criminals without the help of the United States. This was a very good article that should give the people who read it, hope about this rebuilding process in Iraq.. Welch 7 One could look at invading Iraq as the right decision, where another man could look at it as one man trying to avenge what his father couldn’t accomplish.They are both valid sides, but I think my side is correct.
As I stated earlier in my paper, I wanted to further solidify my stance on this war. And I have done that, and even possibly feeling stronger towards supporting this War in Iraq. I’ve looked through many articles, spend numerous hours on my research, and feel confident to arguing my position to anyone. This is a topic that can get everyone involved because everyone has an opinion. However one may think of this issue, it is something that will not be done over night and needs our full attention.