Fred Thompson: "Dead Wrong" on Iraq

A few nights ago I watched Fred announce his candidacy on the Tonight Show. Here is an excerpt from his interview with Jay leno on the Iraq War:

JAY: Let me ask you about some serious matters. The Iraq war, obviously the biggest issue in the campaign ‑‑ were you for it?

FRED: Yeah.

JAY: You were for it.

FRED: I think we got to remember what it would be like if we had not done what we did. Saddam would still be there, having defeated the United Nations, all the resolutions. It would have defeated the United States in effect. It would have been in a position to continue its nuclear weapons program. His two sons would still have been doing what they were doing ‑‑ putting people in human shredders and attacking their neighbors. And I think, especially in light of what Iran is doing right now, they certainly would have been in a nuclear competition in that part of the world, sitting on those oil reserves. To think that, had we not gone in there, we wouldn't have any problems or anything, I think is dead wrong.

JAY: Do we stay?

FRED: I think we stay until we get the job done, Jay. I don't think ‑‑

JAY: What is the definition of "get the job done"? I think that's the part that is confusing people.

FRED: Until it is pacified enough for those people who walk through those lines with people shooting at them in some cases who voted, put their finger in the ink and so forth, the first time in that part of the world, in the history of the world, until they have an opportunity to have a free life and to not be killed by al‑Qaeda and others fighting in that part of the world. I think that's doable. I think it's tough, but I think we can't afford to go into a situation and not show resolve. I think the most dangerous thing in the world that could happen to the United States of America is for people to think we're weak and divided. Iraq is a part of a much bigger picture ‑‑ Iraq and Afghanistan. There's a global war going on. We are the main target and those who would befriend us. The enemy is ruthless. Al‑Qaeda is here in this country. National intelligence estimates tell us that. They are strong. They're trying to get their hands on nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. I don't know how much ‑‑ how more stark the situation could be. That's going to be the situation we're going to have to deal with for sometime regardless of what happens in Iraq, but if the wrong result happens in Iraq and we're perceived the wrong way by friends and enemies alike, it's going to make the situation more difficult, and we're going to be more vulnerable. It's a tough deal, but a it's a choice of two bad choices. It's not a good and a bad.

I think that Fred is, using his words, "dead wrong" about the Iraq War. I agree with what Sarah commented a few days ago:

At this point, I believe the war is a tragedy similar to the removal of Tito in the former Yugoslavia. One evil dictator may be gone, but now the lid is off for massive bloodshed between ethnic (and religious) groups that hate each other. I really regret this situation before God, because I'm not sure that removing Saddam was the lesser of two evils. I think more will die now (whether we stay or leave). And God cares about Iraqi lives as much as He does about American ones.

The sad part in all this is that candidates like Fred don't get it and, by not getting it, are opening a wide door for the democratic candidates in 2008.