Liberal myth

The Bush administration has shifted justifications for the Iraq war, and has no coherent strategy.

The facts

While no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq, prohibited long range missiles and prohibited weapons programs were found in Iraq.  The goal of establishing a stable, democratic Iraq has been an administration priority from the start.

Adapting strategy

Like any good strategy, the plan in Iraq has changed to adapt to new circumstances.

• Fighting the terrorist insurgents is a different sort of military operation than combating a conventional army, so strategy and tactics have evolved
• America’s goal has always been to create a weapons-free, pluralistic, stable and democratic Iraq that could serve as an ally in the War on terror
• There have been setbacks, but the presence of setbacks does not indicate absence of successes

Success in Iraq

American national security has been enhanced since Saddam fell.

• Iraq was a brutal and aggressive regime that had a long history of supporting terrorism, including an attempted 1993 assassination plot against former President George H.W. Bush.  Saddam’s regime also had numerous contacts with al-Qaeda and many other terrorist groups.
• Iraq actually had used nerve gas against its own people as well as against Iran.

Chance for democracy

The United States has an opportunity to recast Iraq as a stable democracy.

• Iraq could be a force for stability in the volatile Middle East
• A free Iraq could be a useful ally in the war against terrorism.
• Building a legitimate sovereign government in Iraq depends on obtaining the support of the Iraqi people, not from the U.N. Security Council

The January 2005 elections showed the power of elections.

• Iraqis were galvanized to risk their lives to press for changes through ballots, not bullets.
• The election revealed the insurgents’ true intentions: they oppose democratic government and seek to impose a repressive dictatorship organized along Baathist or radical Islamic lines
• The elections have undermined the terrorists’ ability to intimidate Iraqis, despite efforts to step up attacks

Related Heritage research

• James Phillips, “Firm and Patient Realism Needed in Iraq,” June 23, 2005 
• James Phillips, “Slow But Steady Progress in Iraq,” April 15, 2005
• Issues 2004: “Iraq”