Yes, our troops believe they are in Iraq because of 9/11, and they are fed that information by the DOD PR machine. It makes one sick to realize that the only way to get the rank and file on the ground soldier to believe in what they are doing is to lie to them, and allow those same troops to believe something that has absolutely NO basis in truth.
From the Zogby poll:
The wide-ranging poll also shows that 58% of those serving in country say the U.S. mission in Iraq is clear in their minds, while 42% said it is either somewhat or very unclear to them, that they have no understanding of it at all, or are unsure. While 85% said the U.S. mission is mainly "to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks," 77% said they also believe the main or a major reason for the war was "to stop Saddam from protecting al Qaeda in Iraq."
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And then there is also this from the poll:
Only 35% said basic civil infrastructure in Iraq, including roads, electricity, water service, and health care, has not improved over the past year. Three of every four were male respondents, with 63% under the age of 30.
The reality is that Iraq is producing less electricity now then before the war, and the water system is also not up to par. The Council on Foreign Relations has this to say:
More than thirty months after the March 2003 invasion, Iraqis still complain of a lack of basic amenities like heating oil, water, and electricity
What exactly do our troops see on the ground that has led them to believe that the Iraqi infrastructure is better now then before the war? Have our troops once again been taken down the road of lies by the Bush administration? Do our troops no longer believe their own eyes and ears, but rather "trust" that what they are told is "true?"
How is it that while the American public overwhelmingly came to believe that Saddam had WMD and was a threat to our nation, our soldiers believe that we invading Iraq to remove Saddam (why remove Saddam if he was no direct threat to our nation?) From the Zogby poll:
"Ninety-three percent said that removing weapons of mass destruction is not a reason for U.S. troops being there," said Pollster John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International. "Instead, that initial rationale went by the wayside and, in the minds of 68% of the troops, the real mission became to remove Saddam Hussein." Just 24% said that "establishing a democracy that can be a model for the Arab World" was the main or a major reason for the war. Only small percentages see the mission there as securing oil supplies (11%) or to provide long-term bases for US troops in the region (6%).
One cannot fault the soldiers for wanting to believe that we invaded Iraq to prevent another 9/11, but one can fault Bush and his administration for feeding the endless lies to not only the troops but also all Americans.
There will be no truth; no accounting until there is at least one arm of our government that is controlled by Democrats, my hope and prayer is that we can take back at least one part of congress this year. Our nation deserves better and our troops deserve to know that they were used by this administration, used by a president who was AWOL when his country called on him and used by a VP who refused to serve his country.
It is disturbing to know that even after all that has been written, discussed, reported on about the lack of Saddam's involvement with 9/11 our soldiers cling to this notion, planted by Bush and Cheney. It makes me sick to know that only through the use of lies can this administration continue to abuse and misuse our military.