Opinion of the Iraq War

[mieastwick]

Since like 60% of this forum's members are neoconservatives, but only half of them would admit it, my guess is approval will be at around 35%.

[America Needs R'hllor]

It's a badly-thought, poorly-handled war that brought far more harm than good. The Bush administration has the most blame, but Obama probably withdrew irresponsibly, so I would put some blame on him too for wanting to withdraw asap, no matter the consequences, just because it was popular.

[Bismarck]

Horrible Decision. Took away the GOP's advantage on foreign policy in the eyes of he public. I view it as a blunder by those committed to neo-conservative democracy spreading, not as a sinister conspiracy like some folks here undoubtably do. As a side note, all the Atlas dems are giving Trump an F grade, has he done anything even close to this bad?

[America Needs R'hllor]

Horrible Decision. Took away the GOP's advantage on foreign policy in the eyes of he public. I view it as a blunder by those committed to neo-conservative democracy spreading, not as a sinister conspiracy like some folks here undoubtably do. As a side note, all the Atlas dems are giving Trump an F grade, has he done anything even close to this bad?

Not yet, but it's not what Trump concretely does, it's the way he handles the presidency which has been terrible.

[Virginiá]

As a side note, all the Atlas dems are giving Trump an F grade, has he done anything even close to this bad?

I mean, to be fair, it's a grade on his first 100 days, which I think by any objective measure have been a failure. Gorsuch was not a true accomplishment, as Republicans in Congress made that happen, not Trump, aside from picking someone. Signing a bunch of CRA rule repeal bills making it legal to rip off senior citizens, shoot hibernating bears, sell people's private browsing data, and so forth, is hardly what I'd call accomplishments. Trump has made little-to-no progress on any of his major agenda items. The PPACA repeal/replace went down in flames, and he is far behind in filling vacancies in his administration, which is his own fault.

Yes, I'd say he deserves an F for now at least. He is running an incompetent administration mixed with pretty awful policy. Yes, as a whole Bush's 8 years were worse than Trump's first 100 days, but that doesn't mean they can't both get Fs. If you rate them percentage-wise, that just means Bush (overall) gets far less of a failing percentage than Trump.

Plus, let's be honest, from a liberal's perspective, Trump is an abomination. From a conservative perspective, they might like some of this. But in terms of competency and how effective Trump has been in doing what he wants to do, he deserves an F.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Since like 60% of this forum's members are neoconservatives, but only half of them would admit it, my guess is approval will be at around 35%.

hhhahhahah what

[Maxwell]

doesn't like Assad does not equal being a neocon.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Opposed it since the beginning and all subsequent developments only confirmed my stance.

Since like 60% of this forum's members are neoconservatives, but only half of them would admit it, my guess is approval will be at around 35%.

Imagine if the Iraq War started under a Democratic President...

[JA]

Since like 60% of this forum's members are neoconservatives, but only half of them would admit it, my guess is approval will be at around 35%.

Imagine if the Iraq War started under a Democratic President...

The Libyan intervention conducted by President Obama and certain NATO allies was a similar, albeit significantly smaller, disaster.

[Technocracy Timmy]

Poorly executed war.

[Figueira]

All wars are horrible.

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

Killed millions of people and destabilized a region, helping approximately no one.

[NeverAgain]

I always found it funny just with the leadup to it. Bush talks of the atrocities committed by the terrorist group known as Al-Qaeda, which has major roots in many countries, but most especially in the Arabian Peninsula and Afghanistan, therefore I am ordering an invasion of Iraq.

Anyways, poorly executed war (disbanding the military was a HUGE mistake), and then the lack of an exit strategy was the biggest failure.

The sad aftermath is that due to this, we'll be there for a long while.

[Beet]

Most people recognize it as a big mistake now, but in the lead up to it? Getting a strong opposition was like pulling teeth. It's easy to criticize in hindsight; try being one of the people protesting it back in the day when everyone was convinced of the "Saddam threat". Even more than year after the invasion we had to wade through treatises like this claiming Saddam was behind 9/11. For a while we were treated like outcasts.

[MAINEiac4434]

It made Obama president, so...

No but seriously, terrible war. Up there with Vietnam. Probably worse than Vietnam.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Killed millions of people and destabilized a region, helping approximately no one.

Dianne Feinstein made a bunch of money off wartime profiteering for the war she voted for.

[Xing]

Horrible, deceitful, started without a coherent strategy for how to deal with the post-Saddam chaos, and what do we have to show for it? Thousands of dead soldiers and civilians, as well as much more instability in the Middle East.

[Sumner 1868]

Obama probably withdrew irresponsibly, so I would put some blame on him too for wanting to withdraw asap, no matter the consequences, just because it was popular.

Not at all. He had promised much sooner withdrawal on the campaign trail.

[This account no longer in use.]

The worst decision America has made since Vietnam perhaps.

[Kingpoleon]

The worst decision America has made since Vietnam perhaps.

Re-electing LBJ was pretty bad.

[mieastwick]

My god. This forum's members are even less intellectually principled than I thought. 60% of them are neoconservatives ( https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=263031.0 ), but they abandon their own projects at the drop of a pin. I am beyond disgusted. I, moron I was, thought I could find at least five Democrat Haley supporters to come up with a principled justification for their preference over Gabbard (one that incorporates support for the Iraq War as the fullest expression of that principle). Stupid me! Most of this forum remains godawful.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

My god. This forum's members are even less intellectually principled than I thought. 60% of them are neoconservatives ( https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=263031.0 ), but they abandon their own projects at the drop of a pin. I am beyond disgusted. I, moron I was, thought I could find at least five Democrat Haley supporters to come up with a principled justification for their preference over Gabbard (one that incorporates support for the Iraq War as the fullest expression of that principle). Stupid me! Most of this forum remains godawful.

Oh, I always enjoy a new user who goes out of their way to be pointlessly belligerent and deliver hot take broadsides against the community.

[Vosem]

A massive mistake that happened as a result of faulty intelligence and led to long-term instability in the region, but it's still difficult to declare the conflict that toppled the Saddam regime to have been anything other than a Freedom War. Which is how I voted.

[Enduro]

100% of war is horrible, even if some wars were needed, the Iraq War was one of most unneeded, poorly executed, and useless.