Casey Kiefer 1

The War in Iraq: A Bad Deal with Great Packaging

A look at how the Bush administrations decision to declare war against Iraq was a colossal
failure based on impulse, misdirection, and false pretense.
As is evident in the past few months, Americas entanglement with the Middle East has
proven draining and fruitless, ultimately causing more conflict in the long run. The Bush
administration blatantly lied to the American people and shamelessly sold the world a bad deal
dressed with great packaging. We were promised a safer world, and instead weve gotten a
broken economy, massive casualties, and an even larger terroristic threat. The War on Terror
was a failure on all fronts, fueled by political and corporate greed. The Bush administrations
decision to invade Iraq was a misdirected and impulsive act based on false premise, faulty
information, and skewed ideals. Because of this, The United States will be intertwined and
entangled with terrorism and conflict in the Middle East for years to come.
It was a day many will never forget, the towers of the World Trade Center that once stood
tall and proud were demolished all within a time span of a few hours. The world was sent
reeling. Through fear mongering by politicians and the media, the United States was sent into a
frenzy regarding national security and the sanctity of the nation. Obviously, the world wanted
answers for this horrendous attack, but no one had any, not even the President himselfor so we
thought. Thus launched the War on Terror two years later in 2003. A twelve year-long
expenditure based on hazy evidence that resulted in a huge loss of life, money, and trust. Twelve
years of the spread of extremism, torture, bombing campaigns, and disasters. As previously
released by the 9/11 Commission Report, the National Security Agency not only dropped the
ball, but didnt even catch it in the first place. They missed or flat out ignored multiple threats
and alarms that directly influenced, if not caused the attacks on September 11th. According to the
Terror Timeline, President George Bush, Vice President Cheney, and national security aides were
given briefing papers on Bin Laden threats in early July 2001. Following this briefing, the United

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States received multiple warnings about impending terror threats from many different countries
including Argentina, Egypt, India, Jordan, Morocco, Russia, and Great Britain.1 Bush would later
deny this after 9/11, stating he had no warning of the impending attacks.2 Because of this
colossal failure, the Bush administration scrambled to protect themselves and their image, so
they recklessly declared war on Iraq without fully researching and understanding the
consequences.
Sold to the public like a used car salesman sells that Toyota with the shot transmission, the War
in Iraq was shrouded with good intentions and false promises. It seemed like the perfect plan;
America would swoop in, take out this heinous dictator, and then rebuild the infrastructure so
Iraq would be a shining beacon that reflected good, true, American values. It was promised by
President Bush that once Saddam Hussein was disposed of, American forces would depart.
According to the National Review, Congress would not have authorized the invasion in the first
place without this promise of a semi-quick departure.3 Well, twelve years and nearly half a
million civilian deaths later4, we are still involved in Iraq and in a more deeply intertwined and
compromised position in the Middle East than when we started. It has slowly but surely been
revealed throughout the years that the real reasons Bush went to war with Iraq does not match
what he told us. What has been revealed and is still, is that the Bush administration provided
1 Paul Thompson, Center for Cooperative Research, The Terror Timeline. Year by Year, Day by Day,
Minute by Minute: A Comprehensive Chronicle of the Road to 9/11-and Americas Response (New York:
HarperCollins, 2004), 35-46. Print.
2 Paul Thompson, The Terror Timeline, 55.
3 Victor Davis Hanson, Why Did We Invade Iraq?, http://www.nationalreview.com, (March 26, 2013).
Web.
4 Kerry Sheridan, Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study Says,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com, (1/23/2014). Web.

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shadowy and at times falsified information to Congress and the American people, obtaining
reassurance for a war that had a more sinister objective. According to Huffington Post, Former
CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell stated during a heated interview that It wasnt that the
intelligence community was giving the administration wholesale faulty intelligence. It was that
the administration was lying to the American people about what the intelligence actually
showed.5 President Bush stated that one of the main reasons for the invasion was that the
President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, held Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD. There is no
denying that Hussein was a terrible and heinous dictator, who supervised a mass genocide
against the Kurds and Shiites in Iraq. Ironically, what the U.S. conveniently forgets, is that
Hussein was actually put into power by the CIA in a formed alliance against Iran. This U.S.
allegiance quickly turned sour after Hussein who, sitting on mass amounts of oil, started trading
not with the U.S. dollar, but with the Euro. According to The Guardian, this switch was the
driving force behind the invasion. John Chapman writes, WMD provided only the bureaucratic
argument: the real reason was that Iraq was swimming in oil.6 A report from CNN in 2015
supports this statement, for the U.N investigation between 1991 and 2007 finds no reputable
evidence of WMD in Iraq.7 Furthermore, in 2005 the Commission on Intelligence Capabilities
reports that they were dead wrong on their assessment of Iraqs weapon capabilities.8 Proving
that invading Iraq was an unjustified decision backed with no concrete evidence and inaccurate
5 Ryan Grim, Amanda Terkel, Bush Administration Gave False Presentation of the True Intelligence,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com, (5/20/2015). Web.
6 John Chapman, The Real Reasons Bush Went to War, http://www.theguardian.com, (July 27, 2004).
Web.
7 Iraq Weapons Inspections Fast Facts, CNN Library, http://www.cnn.com, (March 14, 2015). Web.
8 Iraq Weapons Inspections Fast Facts, CNN Library, http://www.cnn.com, (March 14, 2015). Web.

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information. After the toppling of Hussein, many will argue that the situation Iraqi people are in
now is much worse than it was before, for now many Iraqi citizens have no food, running water,
or electricity. The U.S. has done nothing to rectify these struggles. Regardless of which side you
believe, Iraqis deserve better.
As stated before, important facts involving Iraq and President Bush are still revealing
themselves. Just recently, the Benghazi investigation on Hillary Clinton unearthed a previously
secret memo that shows British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush were planning to
invade Iraq one year before it actually happened. This is important because up until the actual
invasion in 2003, President Bush was claiming he wanted peace and going to war would be his
absolute last resort. The memo states, Blair continues to stand by you and the U.S. as we move
forward on the war on terrorism and Iraq. He will present to you the strategic, tactical and public
affairs lines that he believes will strengthen global support for our common cause.9 This memo
was dated April 5-7, 2002. See, the common understanding by the American people, is that the
President must have exhausted all efforts in his power before war is the last considerable option.
This proves that the thought of diplomacy never even crossed President Bush or his
administrations mind, and because of this more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers were killed10, 179
British soldiers11, and over 500,000 Iraqi civilians12.

9 Jen Mills, Smoking Gun Memo Shows Tony Blair Agreed to Military Action a Whole Year before Iraq
Invasion, http://www.metro.co.uk, (October 18, 2015). Web.
10 H.A. Goodman, 4,486 American Soldiers Have Died in Iraq, http://www.huffingtonpost.com,
(11/17/2014). Web.
11 British Military Deaths in Iraq, BBC News, http://www.bbc.com, (July 21, 2010). Web.
12 Kerry Sheridan, Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study
Says, http://www.huffingtonpost.com, (1/23/2014). Web.

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The invasion in Iraq was supposed to stop the spread of terrorism and protect Americans, yet as
we see from the Patriot Act and according to Global Research, terrorism in the Middle East has
actually increased since September 11th.13 The Patriot Act was a law devised by the Bush
administration, meant to counteract terrorism that gave new powers to the National Security
Agency on domestic and international surveillance which allowed the trading of information.
This law raises concerns about civilian data privacy and the sanctity of the Fourth Amendment.
In 2013 Edward Snowden leaked information showing that the law was being used to justify the
collection of over a million American civilians phone records and calls. So, in whole, a law that
was said to be for protection was actually breaking our Fourth Amendment, and for what?
Terrorism has increased exponentially even with the law in place, proving yet again that the Bush
administration was incapable of accomplishing anything. The whole point of the invasion in Iraq
was to increase National Security, yet according to Global Research, Al Qaeda wasnt even in
Iraq when the U.S. invaded14. University of Chicago Professor Robert A. Pape states, Extensive
research into the causes of suicide terrorism proves Islam isnt to blame- the root of the problem
is foreign military occupations.15 So by invading Iraq we directly increased the threat of
terrorism which is still relevant now. Tom Engelhardt writes in The Nation that with its reek of
chaos and atrocities, the War on Terror is accomplishing everything Bin Laden hoped it

13 U.S. War on Terror Has INCREASED Terrorism, Global Research, http://www.globalresearch.ca,

(October 22, 2013). Web.
14 U.S. War on Terror Has INCREASED Terrorism, Global Research, http://www.globalresearch.ca,
(October 22, 2013). Web.
15 U.S. War on Terror Has INCREASED Terrorism, Global Research, http://www.globalresearch.ca,
(October 22, 2013). Web.

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would.16 Even in the news today, with the horrendous attacks on Paris, Beirut, Syria, Baghdad,
and Mali, we can see the threat of terrorism is still prominent.
In 2013, the true cost of the Iraq war was calculated to be $6 Trillion.17 $6 Trillion dollars
spent on a war with no victory. A war that wounded the entire world. A war that killed massive
amounts of people. And now many Congress members and civilians dont want to accept Syrian
Refugees because they are a security issue and too expensive. Where was that train of
thought while voting to fund Americas longest war? Congress doesnt have the budget for two
years of tuition free community college, but they had the budget to cut lives short. Congress
believes raising the minimum wage for better living conditions would be impossible, but they
didnt blink an eye when they voted for war. Interesting how $6 Trillion isnt worth mentioning
when its taking lives, but suddenly is a huge barrier when improving lives comes into play.
Personally, I dont mind paying for war stricken refugees to have a safer and brighter future. I
dont mind paying for our Veterans who were injured and suffered in the wars our government
created. I dont mind investing in free tuition for the advancement of future minds. I dont mind
paying for the millions living in poverty through the raising of minimum wage. I dont mind
paying for our elderly to retire. I dont mind paying for those who are struggling through
government aide. I dont mind paying for our country to have the luxury of going to the doctor
when they are sick through universal health care. I dont mind investing in compassion, empathy,
and humanity. I dont mind investing in the improvement of lives. What I do mind, is when the
money I pay in taxes is used to end them.

16 Tom Engelhardt, 14 Years After 9/11, http://www.thenation.com, (September 8, 2015). Web.

17 Mike Thompson, The True Cost of the Afghanistan War May Surprise You, http://www.time.com,
(January 1, 2015). Web.

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Its time to admit the awful truth, U.S. involvement in the Middle East fueled the rise of
ISIS in Syria and the terror that is being rained there now, just like they fueled the rise of Al
Qaeda in Iraq. We know this because according to The Guardian, The trial in London of a
Swedish man, Bherlin Gildo, accused of terrorism in Syria, collapsed after it became clear U.S.
and British intelligence had been among the same rebel groups the defendant was charged with
supporting.18 This has happened multiple times in history. The United States will keep funding
different groups to fight terror, and then abandon those groups they have created, conveniently
forgetting their history on what happens when you do that. The U.S. has created huge conflict
and bloodshed in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Pakistan, just through the funding of certain militant
groups. Then they turn their back on them. The Bush administration was obsessed with Western
control. They had a dream of civilizing the Middle East, just like Europeans had a dream of
cultural assimilation. Also, we cannot forget Bushs creation of Guantanamo Bay. A detention
camp specifically meant to bend the rules created by the Geneva Convention, a place where
interrogators were given a free hand. The problem was, many of the people imprisoned at
Guantanamo Bay did not face clear charges or were not charged at all. Prisoners were subjected
to relentless inhumane torture, including beatings, sexual assaults, sensory deprivation,
waterboarding, and more. President Bush and the Bush administration kept this all a secret for
years, until being forced to publically admit his total disregard for life and world law.
In George Bushs book, Decision Points, he speaks about a strategy that became known as the
Bush Doctrine. In this doctrine, Bush states to First, make no distinction between the terrorists
and the nations that harbor them- and hold both to account.19 So what Bush is basically saying
18 Seumas Milne, Now the Truth Emerges, http://www.theguardian.com, (June 3, 2015). Web.
19 George W. Bush, Decision Points, (Crown Publishing Group, 2010). Print.

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in a nicer, more flowery way, is that the whole Muslim community is at fault. As we see in Syria
now, a majority of civilians in terror ridden countries are not terrorists and do not condone
terrorism. They are not harboring these terror groups-they are terrified, trapped, and they are
being killed daily. They are stuck in a homeland that they love so deeply and no one is coming to
help them. Terrorism has no religion or skin color. Statements like Bushs help promote
widespread Islamophobia and the ignorant disgusting notion that all Muslims are terrorists.
Since 9/11 life for Muslim, Arab, and Sikh Americans has never been the same. For they still
face violence from their fellow Americans, and the Bush administrations fear mongering helped
perpetuate that. The fact of the matter is, after September 11th, many innocent Muslims were
killed in horrific acts of racism. Take Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was murdered on September 15,
2001, for his appearance and the color of his skin. According to Huffington Post, in the years
since 9/11, annual hate crimes are roughly five times higher than pre-9/11.20 In actuality, more
Americans have been killed by white homegrown terrorists than Muslim extremists since 9/11.21
These hate crimes still happen, even now. Just recently, after the terror attacks in Paris, many
mosques across the United States were set ablaze, and many Muslim-Americans were physically
assaulted. Donald Trump is a huge perpetuator of racism and Islamophobia. His most recent
comments were that all Muslim-Americans should be required to have a special identification
card. Requiring any minority group in the United States to carry a special ID is extremely unAmerican and it sounds disturbingly similar to another horrific event in historyNazi Germany.
We as Americans should be ashamed.

20 Julia Craven, Twitter Users Remember The 9/11 Victims We Often Forget,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com, (9/11/15). Web.
21 Nidhi Prakash, Report: More Americans Have Been Killed by White Supremacists than Muslim
Extremists since 9/11, http://www.fusion.net, (June 24, 2015). Web.

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I am not a politician. I do not know what it takes to defend a nation in the face of terror. I
do not know how to save other countries from murderous dictators. But I expect, that when I cast
my vote in an election, that the people whom I am voting for do. President George W. Bush and
the Bush administration showed time and time again their inability to govern a successful state
and show valuable diplomacy. The war in Iraq was an admitted massive failure that cost the
world too much. It can never happen again. We as American people and a world, must learn from
this experience, we must not lose our compassion and humanity in times of fear. Victory is not
found in loss of life and ignorance. Victory is found when we come together as humans; as
people. Take the inscription on the statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus. Give me your tired,
your poor,/ Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,/ The wretched refuse of your teeming
shore,/ Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door! I
believe in an America based on humanity and values. I believe in an America that stands tall and
proud, remembering who we are and what we stand for. I believe in an America that is good,
whole, and welcoming. We cannot turn a blind eye to atrocities, and we cannot create them.
Strength is in unity, for we all bleed the same color.

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Bibliography
Paul Thompson, Center for Cooperative Research, The Terror Timeline. Year by Year, Day
byDay, Minute by Minute: A Comprehensive Chronicle of the Road to 9/11-and Americas
Response (New York: HarperCollins, 2004), 35-46. Print.
Victor Davis Hanson, Why Did We Invade Iraq?,
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/343870/why-did-we-invade-iraq-victor-davis
-hanson, (March 26, 2013). Web.
Kerry Sheridan, Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study
Says, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/iraq-death-toll_n_4102855.html,
(1/23/2014). Web.
Ryan Grim, Amanda Terkel, Bush Administration Gave False Presentation of the True
Intelligence, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/20/mike-morell-iraq
2016_n_7346990.html, (5/20/2015). Web.
John Chapman, The Real Reasons Bush Went to War,
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/28/iraq.usa, (July 27, 2004). Web.
Iraq Weapons Inspections Fast Facts, CNN Library,
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/meast/iraq-weapons-inspections-fast-facts/,
(March 14, 2015). Web.
Jen Mills, Smoking Gun Memo Shows Tony Blair Agreed to Military Action a Whole Year
before Iraq Invasion, http://metro.co.uk/2015/10/18/smoking-gun-memo-shows-tony
blair-agreed-to-military-action-a-whole-year-before-iraq-invasion-5446527/, (October 18,
2015). Web.

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H.A. Goodman, 4,486 American Soldiers Have Died in Iraq,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/4486-american-soldiers
ha_b_5834592.html, (11/17/2014). Web.
British Military Deaths in Iraq, BBC News, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-10637526, (July 21,
2010). Web.
U.S. War on Terror Has INCREASED Terrorism, Global Research,
http://www.globalresearch.ca/u-s-war-on-terror-has-increased-terrorism/5355073,
(October 22, 2013). Web.
Tom Engelhardt, 14 Years After 9/11, http://www.thenation.com/article/14-years-after-911
the-war-on-terror-is-accomplishing-everything-bin-laden-hoped-it-would/, (September 8,
2015). Web.
Mike Thompson, The True Cost of the Afghanistan War May Surprise You,
http://time.com/3651697/afghanistan-war-cost/, (January 1, 2015). Web.
Seumas Milne, Now the Truth Emerges,
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/03/us-isis-syria-iraq, (June 3,
2015). Web.
George W. Bush, Decision Points, (Crown Publishing Group, 2010). Print.
Julia Craven, Twitter Users Remember The 9/11 Victims We Often Forget,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/after-september-11
victims_55f33262e4b077ca094f0df6, (9/11/15). Web.
Nidhi Prakash, Report: More Americans Have Been Killed by White Supremacists than Muslim
Extremists since 9/11, http://fusion.net/story/155989/report-more-americans-have-been
killed-by-white-supremacists-than-muslim-extremists-since-911/, (June 24, 2015). Web.