Reconsidering Iraq
Reflections & Reservations from a Conservative Perspective|
This site is
presented as a resource page for
conservatives and Republicans who have reservations about current Iraq
war policy. Overlooked is that some of the most principled opposition to current Iraq war policy comes from traditional, patriotic, pro-national defense, small-government conservatives, who object to current interventionist policy as over-reaching, counterproductive to our relationships with our allies, a factor aggravating creation of more terrorists, and resulting in an on-going heavy price in American lives and collateral damage.
Prior to the invasion of Iraq, experienced military leaders, active and retired, including Generals Schwartzkoph, Shinseki, Shalikashvili, Hoar, Clark, Zinni, Odom, and others, were advocates of caution and restraint, but their warnings were unheeded by civilian policy-makers within the Department of Defense, many of whom were non-veteran ideologues lacking personal military experience.
Many conservative columnists have written eloquently on these issues, some opposing the initial invasion, while others, who supported the invasion for purposes of disarming Saddam Hussein of ‘weapons of mass destruction’, have come to the conclusion that the occupation is counter-productive or is motivated by other than the Administration’s stated goals. A point of controversy is a vision of empire which some conservatives believe to be contrary to American values.
In some instances articles in opposition to Administration policies written by conservative columnists have been not published by some of that columnist’s regular syndicated outlets, but may be available elsewhere on the web. Republican lawmakers who oppose current policy have come under intense pressure by party leadership. |
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“Almost all conservatives applauded and were enthusiastic when President Bush, as a candidate, said that he opposed nation-building and that we needed a more humble foreign policy. Over 80% of House Republicans voted against our interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo….. “Many, possibly even most, Republicans in the House have expressed misgivings and concerns about our policy in Iraq but have reluctantly gone along with the White House.” |
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| Rep. John J.
Duncan (R-Tenn), “Bush’s Iraq
Intervention is
Unconservative” |
Following are Links to conservatives, Republicans, and/or military leaders willing to publicly express reservations about current foreign policy relating to the war in Iraq: |
 “It might be interesting to wonder why all the generals see it the same way, and all those that never fired a shot and are really hell-bent to go to war see it a different way.” |
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| Gen.
Anthony Zinni (Ret.), U. S.
Marine Corps, former Commander of U. S.
Central Command
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Lt. Gen. William E. Odom (Ret.), U. S. Army, Director of National Security Studies at Hudson Institute; Military analyst and foreign policy expert; Served as Director of National Security Agency, 1985-1988; Served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, the Army’s senior intelligence officer 1981-1985Former
General Says Staying the Course in Iraq is Untenable, Wall Street Journal, April 28,
2004, Also here,
or here Looking for the Exit, Washington Times, May 3, 2004, or here Interview, May 6, 2004, U.S. Should Make Plans for Pullout by Next Year About Gen.
Odom Gen Anthony Zinni (Ret.), U. S. Marine Corps, former Commander-in-Chief of U. S. Central Command for all U.S. forces in the Middle EastFollowing his retirement from the Marine Corps in 2000, Gen. Zinni, a registered Republican, was appointed by President Bush as special adviser to Secretary of State Colin Powell and served as U.S. envoy envoy for Israeli/Palestinian negotiations, before breaking ranks with the Administration over the war in Iraq. Interview, San Diego Union Tribune, April 16, 2004 Address, Marine Corp Association, U. S. Naval Institute, Arlington, Virginia, September 4, 2004, Zinni's comments to the joint meeting in Arlington of the U.S. Naval Institute and the Marine Corps Association, two professional groups for officers, were greeted warmly by his audience, with prolonged applause at the end. Some officers bought tapes and compact discs of the speech to give to others. - Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post, September 5, 2003 Address, Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, Washington, D. C., October 16, 2002 Address, Middle East Institute, Washington, D. C., October 10, 2002 About General Zinni here,
and here Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas),
The
Lessions of 9/11, transcript of address to the U. S. House
of Representatives, April 22, 2004, What
Happened to Conservatives?, July 14, 2003 Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times, 26 ex-diplomats and military leaders say Bush foreign policy has harmed national security, June 13, 2004, also here Robert Novak, Senator Airs GOP War
Discomfort, also here,
May 13, 2004,
About Robert
Novak Steven Thomma,
Criticism
of Iraq War Rising from GOP Right, May 13, 2004, also here,
and here Rep.
Doug Bereuter (R-Nebraska), Retiring GOP
Representative: Iraq War Unjustified,
August 18, 2004
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LINCOLN, Neb. - A
top
Republican congressman has broken from his party in the final days of
his House career, saying he believes the U.S. military assault on Iraq
was unjustified and the situation there has deteriorated into "a
dangerous, costly mess." 
| "We
need to
restrain what are growing U.S. messianic instincts, a sort of global
social engineering where the United States feels it is both entitled
and obligated to promote democracy, by force if necessary……..The United
States must be willing to use force, unilaterally if necessary to
protect our security and that of our allies……..but it is also time for
some hard-headed assessment of American interests." Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee |
 “I
for one would not have supported the war if I thought that its
principal justification was the liberation of the Iraqi people, which
is what the White House now says was its primary mission. Our military
exists to defend the nation, not be the world's policeman.”
Bruce Bartlett, National Center for Policy Analysis, Dallas, Texas, formerly senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and senior policy analyst at Office of Policy Development under Pres. Ronald Reagan "My Misgivings", April 21, 2004 |
 "Pursuing
our policy has boiled down to 'testing our resolve.' It is said by many
– even some who did not support the war – that now we have no choice
but to "stay the course." They argue that it's a noble gesture to be
courageous and continue no matter how difficult. But that should not be
the issue. It is not a question of resolve, but rather a question of
wise policy. If the policy is flawed and the world and our people are
less safe for it, unshakable resolve is the opposite of what we need."
Rep. Ron Paul (R - Texas) U.S. House of Representatives, April 22, 2004 |
Back to Top Next Page Rhetoric & Reality: Origins & Goals of the Bush National Security Strategy A
Comparison of the Professed Principles of George W. Bush with
the Policies of the Bush Administration
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"....it changed into a nation-building mission, and that's where the mission went wrong. The mission was changed. And as a result, our nation paid a price. And so I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building." George
W. Bush
2nd Gore-Bush Presidential Debate October 11, 2000 |
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