A Better Country: Why America was Right to Confront Iraq (Update – Interview with London, who helped write the book)

I had a chance to read A Better Country: Why America was Right to Confront Iraq, by Arthur Borden on my way to the State Policy Network Convention in Scottsdale, AZ. I must admit that I hesitated before accepting an offer to read and review the book, because I’ve always been a little intimidated by the whole “Why” we’re in Iraq debate, and have therefore avoided it.

I’ve always been a strong supporter of the U.S. military, and of our troops, and an advocate for the United States of America, and like many Americans, I began taking time to learn about the dangers of Islamic Jihad after 9/11.

But I’ve pretty much left the details as to exactly why we’re in Iraq, specifically, to the experts. I vaguely understood that taking Saddam out was strategic to our national interests, and that Hussein was a source of funding for Islamic jihad. As a conservative, I cringed every time I heard a liberal declare that there were “no WMD’s” in Iraq, and knew that this was not exactly true, and that even so, that wasn’t exactly the point, but I didn’t really have enough knowledge to defend the decision intelligently.

In this book, Borden fills in a lot of the information gaps between reality and what we, as Americans, were told repeatedly on T.V.. Borden clearly explains the Carter Doctrine, and relates it to the first Gulf War, and our operations in the area ever since.

He describes the Democrats’ overt and relentless determination to use the war to get discredit the Bush administration, largely in retaliation for the 2000 elections, which they believe were “stolen” from them.

Borden explains in easy-to-understand terms that the relevant “links” have been distorted by opponents of the war, and that it was the link between Iraq and its intent to attack American and Israel that justified the war, not the supposed “link” between Saddam and the 9/11 bombings. The author also explains why it is likely that the opponents of the war in Iraq (the liberal elite, the Democratic Party, and the main stream media) have prolonged the war, and damaged our international relationships, simply for the sake of regaining control of the White House.

Whether you agree with Borden’s conclusions or not, I recommend the book as a quick reference for anyone wanting to intelligently discuss the question of why we are in Iraq.

---

Listen to Jenn of the Jungle talk to Dr. Herbert London of the Hudson Institute, who helped Arthur Borden write the book: