Howard "embarrassed

[purplecarrot-top]

Former prime minister John Howard says he was 'embarrassed' that Australia joined the war in Iraq on intelligence that the country had weapons of mass destruction that later appeared to be inaccurate.

Speaking to Channel Seven, Mr Howard says the intelligence presented to him by United States authorities indicated that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, which posed a threat to the West.

He says it was on those reports that he along with the National Security Committee of Cabinet sent Australian troops into Iraq.

"I was struck by the force of the language used in the American national intelligence assessment late in November 2002," he told Sunday Night.

"It brought together all the American intelligence and paragraph after paragraph, they said, we judge Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and even talked about potential nuclear capacity."

Mr Howard also spoke on the current terror levels, saying Australia still faced a real threat.

"I don't think any Australian should assume we won't have a terrorist incident here," he said.

He also said a focus on integrating Muslim youths into the mainstream would help prevent them becoming radicalised.

"As many people know I'm not an overwhelming fan of the doctrine of multiculturalism."

"I believe in bringing people of different races, different religions, to this country but once you're here you've got to become part of the mainstream community."

[debra9275]

I remember watching when they took him into a small dark room and hung him. It was unbelievable! & watching them bomb MR Whippy vans claiming they were disguises for WMD's. Much as Saddam was a tyrant, he managed to hold that country together.

[gkam2]

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@debra9275 wrote:
I remember watching when they took him into a small dark room and hung him. It was unbelievable! & watching them bomb MR Whippy vans claiming they were disguises for WMD's. Much as Saddam was a tyrant, he managed to hold that country together.

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If you regard the gassing to death of 5,000 Kurds in Halabja and a further 182,000 killed in the late 1980's during the Anfal campaign as holding the country together, then I guess you are right he did a magnificent job.

[kilroy_is_here]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/1373322/Saddams-son-tortured-defeated-foot...
Yep held the country together nicely

[the_great_she_elephant]

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@kilroy_is_here wrote:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/1373322/Saddams-son-tortured-defeated-foot...
Yep held the country together nicely

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Would you say Iraq in a better state now than it was under Saddam Hussein

[debra9275]

yes, he did murder those people & casualty figure for the Iraq war is  500,000

http://news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/2013/10/131015-iraq-war-deaths-survey-2013/

[kilroy_is_here]

Yes at least now there is hope for freedom under saddam there was none

[***super_nova***]

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@gkam2 wrote:

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@debra9275 wrote:
I remember watching when they took him into a small dark room and hung him. It was unbelievable! & watching them bomb MR Whippy vans claiming they were disguises for WMD's. Much as Saddam was a tyrant, he managed to hold that country together.

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If you regard the gassing to death of 5,000 Kurds in Halabja and a further 182,000 killed in the late 1980's during the Anfal campaign as holding the country together, then I guess you are right he did a magnificent job.

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Yes he was a brutal dictator, he was also our  friend at the time of gassing to death of 5,000 Kurds in Halabja, and so nobody protested much.  He also massacred the marshland Arabs after they tried to overthrows him..  They tried to overthrow him because we told them we will support them if they start the revolution.  When somebody starts an armed uprising against a government  and loose, they usually do not end well.

Saddam was responsible for death of many people, and torture of many others.  Well, we fixed that, didn't we?  Remind me, how many people were killed during the "liberation" of Iraq?  While we never know exactly, and the figures are disputed, it is in hundreds of thousands.  Not to mention that the infrastructure of that country was totally destroyed, poisoned by depleted uranium and oil wells burning for months polluting the air, and after spending billions trying to stick the mess all together again, all it took now is few thousands of madmen and it all crumbled.

Remember?

[***super_nova***]

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@kilroy_is_here wrote:
Yes at least now there is hope for freedom under saddam there was none

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Not realy, if they get killed by ISIS.  And even if they survive, they are yet again being bombed into stone age. 

[polksaladallie]

[polksaladallie]