Iraq – Who’s really benefiting?

This past weekend I had the privilege to join an increasing number of everyday Americans in Boston, Newport and Providence who showed the patriotism to ask for the immediate return of our troops from Iraq. It is clear they understood they were representing the majority opinion of Americans. I was honored to speak in memory of Rhode Island’s eight fallen servicemen and women.

Over 90% of our troops in Iraq want withdrawal within the year and 30% want it immediately. Most envision a multi-year civil war that won’t be prevented by their Constitution. Why the “disconnect” between public opinion and our legislators’ actions?

In Rhode Island, our elected officials have expressed there’s insufficient support for the end of our Iraq occupation. That’s untrue. Respected Zogby polls show Rhode Island is one of the top states wanting withdrawal. What’s worse, it’s passing the leadership buck on the majority whose daily lives are overwhelmed as it is. Some think politicians rely upon this, so as to take as little action as possible. I’d argue they are afraid to acknowledge they made a blunder going into the War. Our troops deserve better.

It is clear President Bush lied about the Al Qaeda – and the botched 9/11 connection. He then lied about the Weapons of Mass Destruction (impeachable offenses due to the loss of lives). The removal of Saddam Hussein, a third world dictator, among many to include the Saudi Royal family (remember the majority of airplane terrorists were Saudi) might make us safer, but there are dozens more (many whom we support) ignored regimes still in power.

Who benefits from our going into Iraq and staying there? Given the tens of thousands of Kurds gassed to death in 1988 and the Shia majority murdered after Bush Sr.’s pullout in 1991, humanitarian and civil rights weren’t the reason. We can look as close as Katrina or as far as Darfur, Sudan to see this isn’t the administration’s priority. Our communities aren’t safer with lowered funding for domestic security, education or healthcare. Let’s not forget Bush’s Dubai ports deal. What about the 2,300+ troops we have already lost? What about our disabled military personnel who equal ten times this number? How about those with psychological disabilities – they equal 50 times this number or the number of families whose lives are disrupted; 100 times this number.

So who benefits? Our Constitution has no provisions to spend American lives to protect and defend big business interests, yet they benefit most. Our military uses more petroleum than any other entity in the world - more so during time of war. This demand drives up oil prices, so oil companies benefit at taxpayers’ expense. They obviously also want access to the second largest oil reserve in the world. Rebuilding the Iraq we destroyed after Desert Storm is no less than a billions of dollars boon-doggle for contractors like Cheney’s Halliburton, at taxpayers’ expense. The replacement of tens of thousands of pieces of military equipment from bullets to Humvees puts billions of taxpayers’ dollars into military equipment manufacturers.

It’s un-American if corporate interests are coming before our public’s interest