Iraq an immoral war

The 10-year anniversary of our invasion of Iraq has triggered some retrospective news coverage. We are reminded that Iraq did not possess the weapons of mass destruction that were the justification for our pre-emptive attack.

Much of the commentary in the last few weeks has focused on the question of whether the Iraq War was worth the investment we made. We launched a pre-emptive attack on a country without justification. We started a war that killed over 160,000 people. And then we evaluate our effort with a cost-benefit analysis?

Where is the discussion of the morality of the Iraq War, and what we need to do to repair the damage we caused to the people of Iraq? We are trying to support our own country’s wounded and traumatized soldiers, but what about the tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and innocent bystanders who are suffering? Where are the legislative proposals to place limits on our leaders and our military so this never happens again?

If our democracy is incapable of discussing the morality of the Iraq War, what gives us the right or the qualifications to possess such military might?

Patrick Keegan

Spokane