Here's how I see it. Yes, it's a mess over there. Like someone said here, I don't know what the President and his people knew, but I have to assume it was enough to get them to feel they needed to act.
I don't think Bush is evil, or stupid. But it seems like today, nobody in politics can be reasonable, human, or civil. No one can simply say:
"Well, we had good intentions, and it was a noble cause, but it seems like there are enough Iraqis (and others) who are NOT interested in peace and cooperation to make our efforts impossible to bring to fruition. So we're going to leave. We're sorry you were not able to capitalize on the opportunity we afforded the you." And have the Democrats say, "ok, fair enough, George, you tried, it didn't work. Hey, let's try to see where we went wrong so that someone in the future, whether they are Democrat or Repulican (we're all Americans for pete's sake) won't make similar mistakes. . "
Yeah, I know, it's pie-in-the-sky, but instead we get this shrill, childish, belligerent behavior, that is only a smoke screen to cover attempts to gather and consolidate political power.
I'm sure most Iraqis' are sick of what is going on in their country---BUT, not enough of them are . . .so the USA CANNOT force those individuals to be. . . . for lack of a better word. . .good. This seems to be a hard lesson to learn for both conservatives and liberals.
Liberals tend to think that if they treat people like Kim Il or Saddam, or Hitler respectfully, as if THEY ARE JUST LIKE THEM. This is their fatal mistake. Kim Il IS NOT LIKE GEORGE BUSH. OR BILL CLINTON for that matter. He is a sadistic, megolomaniac monster who understands two things: power and force. Some one like him must be crushed--period. Liberal thinking in geopolitics reminds me of those Sci-Fi movies of the fifties and sixties: The scientist who insist that the alien creature just is trying to communicate, that we have nothing to fear from it, that our challenging it with weaponary is only going to provoke it. . . . and invariably this scientist is the first to be zapped, eaten or blown up by the alien.
Conservatives tend to think that if we just show others how good American democracy, American pop culture, capitalism, individualism, etc is they will cease their CENTURIES old tribal hatreds, and snap to it, becoming budding entrepenuers, grilling burgers on the weekend. NO--people and cultures don't change that quickly. Nor should they, in many cases.
Plus, on a philosophical level, I don't think we have the right to impose our system of order (or disorder) on anyone. Just like with an individual, one's first priority is to make sure what YOU are doing is correct, before you start running around trying to tell everyone else what to do. . .
I feel bad for the Bush admin. I can't really say what errors they made (AND NO CAN WITHOUT ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT 'TOP SECRET' LEVEL), but I feel that they tried to do something right. But it didn't work out. Perhaps they shouldn't have tried, but I can't make that determination without having all the facts. I don't think they went in to Iraq for oil, or for Halliburton, or to 'distract' us, or any of those silly accusatory things that the professional complainers go on about.
So, that's my feelings. . . . I DO NOT feel that our soldiers died in vain. They were, and are, doing a noble job under difficult conditions--as soldiers have done for eons. Just because a war or cause is lost, or doesn't work out they way it was envisioned, does not lessen the efforts by those who partook in it, whether they live or die. The experience gained by our soldiers is invalueable--both as individuals and as soldiers.
