Re: And how did you celebrate 1 May?

In article <ddfr-5DD1AA.01231907052008@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
David Friedman <ddfr@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> said:

> Getting back to the current Iraq war. It wouldn't have happened if
> the U.S. hadn't attacked. It also wouldn't have happened if, as
> soon as it was clear the U.S. was going to attack, Iraq had
> surrendered. Does that mean that both the U.S. and Iraq get
> credited with all resulting deaths?
>
> I think that "people killed by the U.S. government" implies
> something a good deal stronger than "people who would not have
> died if the U.S. government had followed a different policy." Do
> you want to argue that the Jews Hitler murdered were "killed by
> the British and French government?" It's at least arguable that if
> they had taken a stronger stand against Hitler earlier, he would
> have fallen from power.

I think that the Iraq War of 2003 (let's just call it that
colloquially and leave the "is it technically a war?" argument for
another thread, okay?) was entirely the responsibility/fault of the
United States.  The people running the Bush Administration had
decided that they wanted the United States to conquer Iraq, that
they would settle for nothing less, and that they would use any
deception, ruse, subterfuge, etc., necessary to cause it to happen.
It was and is their fault, and since these people were,
unfortunately, the official agents of the nation, the nation is
likewise responsible for the war, and its casualties.

"Well, they *could* have just surrendered, you know" is hardly a
valid mechanism for transfering the blame for an unjustified attack.

-- wds