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)<\/p>\nSo, today marks the anniversary of our time in Iraq.\u00a0 The news reports are trying to use this as an attempt to make the entire mission a complete failure and are really touting (hoping, in fact) for an all-out civil war.\u00a0 Let me give my less pessimistic view.<\/p>\n
In 3 years, we have gotten rid of one of the most evil dictators the world has seen since Hitler.\u00a0 Groups that have never worked together (Kurds, Sunnis, Shi’ites) are at least trying to work together to form a representative government.\u00a0 The US has lost only 2,400 GI’s.\u00a0 Of course, any loss is big, but to put things in perspective of wars, this is truly amazing.\u00a0 If you count all of the American lives that have been lost in car accidents (around 120,000) as well as any number of other sources, 2,400 becomes a much smaller number.\u00a0 Again, I wish there would be no loss of life, but in this perspective, it is a relatively small number.<\/p>\n
Of course, there have been many mistakes and many set backs.\u00a0 The entire world believed, most likely correctly, that there were large amounts of weapons of mass destruction.\u00a0 My question isn’t so much of why we haven’t found them, but how did we allow them to get exported to other countries so effortlessly right from under our noses.<\/p>\n
On the issue of timing.\u00a0 In this 30 minute solves everything (e.g. sitcoms) society, people expect and demand that an effort such as this take no longer than a few months to a year to finish.\u00a0 This is an unreasonable expectation and in no time in the past has a country risen in that short of time.\u00a0 Even the U.S. took about 11 years to form a constitution from the time that we declared independence.\u00a0 Germany took well over a decade (and then about another decade after reunification to get back to their full economic prosperity).\u00a0 Japan took around 40 years to rebuild and become what they are now.\u00a0 How can we expect to get a country that has been oppressive for thousands of years to change quickly?<\/p>\n
Will there be a civil war?\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 Should we stay involved if it fully comes to that, I’m of two minds.\u00a0 We are part of the reason one may start, admittedly, so it is our duty to try to keep the pace.\u00a0 But civil wars, by definition are ones fought within.\u00a0 What would have happened if the British had lended a hand to the South during our civil war?\u00a0 There’s no real way to know.<\/p>\n
Remember, we are in this for the long haul, and in time, possibly decades, I believe Iraq can be a source of light in the Arab world.\u00a0 I support our troops, believe in our mission, and despite some mistakes and set backs believe that everything we are there for is just and right.\u00a0 Please keep in mind when you hear all of these negative 3 year reports that there is more good going on than is being reported.\u00a0 Just ask the troops who have been there and you will get a much different story than what you hear on the news.\u00a0 News is there to make a profit, just like any other business… and good news is not good for profits.\u00a0 I don’t even need to address how many of these papers \/ news sources just want to see Bush fall flat on his face (oh well, I guess I did mention it a little )<\/p>\n
Have a great day all, and please continue to support and pray for our troops.\u00a0 Without them, you wouldn’t have the freedoms to do anything that you do, including blogging here on MySpace!<\/p>\n
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