How long until we go back? Will Bush II lead on the Kurds and then abandon them like Daddy? I was there for Oil Wars Part One from December 1990 – May 1991. It wasn't as big a deal as CNN and others made it out to be.
Here's the deal: a poorly trained, half-starved ragtag group of Iraqi draftees was all that stood in the way of the well-trained (and fed) Army/Marine Corps infantry. The airwar mainly destroyed Iraqi military equipment (a lot of it U.S. made) along with lots of buildings in Kuwait City. The real Iraqi military – the Republican Guard – vacated Kuwait as fast as they could once the U.S. infantry overran the untrained, lightly armed Iraqi troops on the front lines.
This war, however, won't be happening out in openness of the desert, it will take place in urban environments against a real military force. Sure, we'd win this fight, but at what cost? Unless we plan to inflict massive civilian casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, this will not be as quick and easy as the Warbloggers and trigger-happy neo-cons think. American troops will die, innocent civilians will die by the thousands and we will have made several more million enemies in nearby nations. For what? To depose a tyrant we helped maintain power in the 1980's and couldn't control later?
Are we really talking about waging a major war against a country that is not at war with us or provoking attack in any manner? Unfortunately, yes. And what is the real reason? Is this about getting rid of Saddam or more about fixing the mess that Daddy left behind after the Gulf War? Will Congress do the right thing and call for impeachment hearings if Bush II goes forth with this unConstitutional war? Not likely. Too few have enough spine for that sort of serious undertaking. You can only get impeached in the U.S. for lying about sex, not waging unConstitutional wars that get people killed, destroy families and expose millions to possible harm. True, some folks in Congress will make a lot of noise, but in the end they'll just get into semi-lockstep with the Administration. As Justin Raimondo points out though, the Pentagon has the power to squash this bug before it gets too big.
We really, really, really need to stay out of there.