Interventionist Hypocrisy

by Jacob G. Hornberger

www.fff.org/blog/, August 15, 2008

Referring to Russia's incursion into Georgia, President Bush says that invading a sovereign country that poses no threat is "unacceptable in the 21st century." John McCain echoes that sentiment with, "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."

What planet do Bush and McCain live on? Have they never heard of Iraq? That's a sovereign and independent country that never attacked the United States or even threatened to do so. Nonetheless, under Bush's command and with McCain's support, the U.S. government invaded Iraq, effected regime change, and is still occupying the country.

Perhaps Bush and McCain are upset that Russia did not ask for UN approval before invading Georgia. But Bush himself did not secure UN approval before invading Iraq. In fact, once it became clear that the UN was going to deny Bush's request, he ordered the invasion anyway.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq have been so brutal that more than a million people have been killed, countless maimed, tortured, and sexually abused, and millions exiled. The entire country has been destroyed. That's on top of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children killed as a result of the cruel and brutal pre-invasion sanctions that had been enforced against the Iraqi people for more than a decade.

Let's also not forget about Afghanistan. In 2001, Bush's military forces, fully supported by McCain, invaded that sovereign and independent country, effected regime change, and are still occupying the country. Although Bush promised to provide evidence of complicity in the 9/11 attacks on the part of the Afghan government, he never did so.

We also should bear in mind that Bush, supported by McCain, never sought or acquired the constitutionally required congressional declaration of war against Iraq or Afghanistan, thereby making the invasions illegal under our form of government.

All this occurred well into the 21st century.

And while we're on the issue of powerful governments that exercise coercive influence on nearby countries, let's not forget the following here in the Western hemisphere:

1. The U.S. government effected regime change in Guatemala.

2. The U.S. government supported the regime change operation in Chile and even played an "unfortunate role" in the killing of an American citizen during the operation.

3. The U.S. government has long attempted to effect regime change in Cuba, especially with its cruel and brutal embargo against the Cuban people.

4. The U.S. government intervened in Nicaragua by arming and supplying the Contras and illegally mining Nicaraguan waters.

5. The U.S. government effected regime change in Haiti.

6. The U.S. government invaded Grenada and effected regime change there.

7. The U.S. government, under the guise of the drug war, invaded Panama and effected regime change there.

8. The U.S. government invaded the Dominican Republic and effected regime change there.

That's just a sampling of U.S. interventions in Latin America.

While it's true that those interventions took place in the 20th century rather than the 21st century, do you see Bush, McCain, or for that matter Obama, condemning any of them? I wonder what they would have said if Russia, China, or some other country had declared that any of these interventions were "unacceptable."

U.S. interventionists need to keep in mind that when they point their finger at their interventionist counterparts in other countries and declare that their invasions are unacceptable, there are 3 fingers pointing back at themselves. As the old saying goes, "Physician, heal thyself." What better way to lead the world?

Jacob Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation.

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