Wars of Choice

While addressing the Islamic peoples world wide from Egypt a few days ago, President Obama referred to the war in Iraq as a "war of choice". Sanctioned by our Congress and the UN the war indeed was a war of choice. The Choice was made by our country and the Bush-Cheney administration based upon lies and bad intelligence. However, whether based upon lies or not, all wars are wars of choice. Wars do not just happen as do natural calamities, they are man made and started by deliberate aggressive actions of humans who happen to be in leadership positions.

The concept of a righteous or good war is delusional. No war is good or righteous although it may become necessary to defeat a greater evil. WW II was the latter. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and many other war locations since the conclusion of WW II were all wars of choice based upon delusional or false claims by so-called leaders.

The choice to start war is often one-sided and the act inflames the other side to respond similarly. Once ignited wars seldom come to an end on their own. One side or the other choses to give up or both sides agree to a cease fire.The leaders of warring countries or groups make these decisions sometimes pressured by the people to do so.

Wars have infected humankind since ancient times and seem to be the most common way to achieve an objective that leaders favor. Leaders of groups or countries are able to mobilize people who do the fighting and killing so that their objectives are attained.Every war and response to attack is the result of deliberate, although often maladjusted, thought processes. Random thought will not start war. Only deliberate thought and action leads to war and always by choice of the leader or leadership group.

President Obama attempted to erase his futile opposition to our country starting the Iraq war by referring to it as a war of choice. Although, it was not his choice and he consistently opposed it, the consequences are in his hands. It is his war to end as he has promised. However, as the leader of our country, the choice to go to war in the future is in his hands, and that will always be a CHOICE.