Three years too many, yes, but the eggs are still broken

I'm all for it. However, something has to be pointed out: regardless of whether you agree with the invasion in the first place, we're in it. If we simply back out now, we'll create a vaccuum that will be filled by an element even less savoury than Saddam Hussein. We're in it now; we have to see it through. The way we fix this for the future is to mind the words of Peter Townshend next time we vote, and decide early on that we won't get fooled again, and we'll distrust every moron we manage to elect.

A weak government is good, people. Encourage that.

Speaking of agreeing with the invasion in the first place.... I did agree with it, although I, uh, agree far less with it in retrospect. Saddam Hussein was a cancer on the face of the planet, as much a danger to his own people as he was to anyone else - look at the history, look at how he ran his own defenses (micromanaging for fear of his own army, preferring loyalty to competence, the works) - and he needed to be removed. However, while I'm willing to accept that maybe the weapons of mass destruction angle was far overplayed (yes, I'm being sarcastic here), I think the greatest problem with invading Iraq and removing Saddam was the lack of participation by the Iraqis themselves, and the apparent misunderstanding of the culture over there. As I've said elsewhere, they are not and were not ready for our kind of personal empowerment.

Basically, we had no plan. The right idea, possibly the wrong motive (see "In my own defense" for more on this), but no clue. All this makes for a disaster.

Plus, we're inconsistent. We invade Iraq to free it from a dictator, but we stand by on Darfur. Sorry; that doesn't fly. That makes action on Iraq just as wrong as inaction for Darfur.

tags: rallies  hussein  iraq  war  peace