A Reminder For Scale

Mr. Obama's "stimulus" and other spending is much more than was spent on the Iraq war.

Just in case anyone has forgotten.

Seven Years Later

And it seems that information supporting the conclusion that Iraqi WMDs went to Syria continues to flow.

Much more evidence exists that the WMD went to Syria, as documented here. Obviously, it is impossible to prove and we do not know exactly what went to Syria, but the history books on this issue shouldn’t be written just yet.

One of the most significant issues that Mr. Bush faced was the cadre of State Department and CIA officers that were using their positions to undermine the administration's objectives.  If they could no longer support our government's stated objectives, then the only correct option was to resign, or perhaps to transfer to the Department of Agriculture.

In any case, I hope the quest for truth won't be overwhelmed by rhetoric.  We need to know...one way or the other....what materials went to Syria.

The Iraqi Political Miracle

It's 2010 and they still have a democracy.  Tunku Varadarajan of the Daily Beast expresses it well.

Of those Americans who will carp about Iraq’s elections being no better than a census (with the country cleaving along sectarian/ethnic lines), and who will underscore many other imperfections, I would simply ask that they look at their own history. It took the U.S. until 1787 to adopt the Constitution, until 1870 to (very imperfectly) enfranchise black adult males, until 1920 to enfranchise adult females, and until 1964-65 to guarantee voting rights to black citizens. Democracies go through a very long process of consolidation. It will not take the Iraqis anywhere near as long as it took us, because there are examples for them to emulate, or to beware of. It takes time—sometimes a very long time—to apportion power among different groups within a nascent political system. What Iraq has achieved in five years is a political wonder, and those who would deny that are being very, very dishonest.

 Thanks, of course, due to President Obama's decision to stay the course of victory instead of fulfilling his promises of withdrawal and defeat.  Pity that Joe Biden couldn't have gotten on board before 2010.

The above reminds me of a soliloquy in John Wayne's "The Green Berets".  Well heck!  Watch it yourself.
The question and the outstanding response begin about the 2:30 mark.  Although I recommend the entire clip.

Now that movie obviously contains more than a little propaganda.  Movies about the war in Vietnam often do.  It also contains more than a little bit of truth as well.  Including the fact that it takes time....months....years...and sometimes more for a civilized democracy to fully develop.  

A high price was paid to achieve this fledgling Iraqi democracy.  A price measured in Iraqi and American blood.  Now the Iraqi's have was what few other Arabs have but that most want; an equal voice in how their country is run.  We should not rush to dismiss how important that achievement really is.