I just wanted to get word against any of those "second time as farce" comments the so-called anti-war left is fond of making. It is the mark of the intellectual mountebank to grasp for low hanging fruit like that. You all are facile, murderous and dangerous yet strangely impotent. Perhaps it's because you are pro-war without wanting to admit it and actually do favor the beneficence of fuel-air liberation.

You all are facile, murderous and dangerous yet strangely impotent.

This is exactly right. However, it's important to understand the only reason the so-called "anti-war" left REMAINS impotent and unable to extend their tyranny over all mankind is because of the unblinking vigilance of people such as ourselves and our unblinkingly vigilant blog comments.

Sigh...

This all reminds me of a song I never heard--

"Somewhere Over a Rainbow in Hell"

--I forget, now, who sang it...

Americans have been bemoaning the lack of gratitude of their subject people for the benevolent philanthropy bestowed upon them for centuries. There was an amusing article in the American Historical Review April 1999 about how Americans complained over and over about the lack of a display of proper gratitude from the Cubans for decades after invading it in 1898. The Native Americans didn't exactly greet as liberators either.

Two things. 1) If my neighbor decides to benevolently reach out to me I hope he does it unarmed. 2) I speak only for me, but I'm not anti-war and suspect most of us aren't. I'm anti- unecessary war, imperialism, waging war in a country whose people we are "helping" have asked us to leave, this war and I'm anti- a war which we obviously will never win.

"They do not govern Washington today. But their doctrine rides high."

Not to put too fine a point on the point Cal, but "these 'men'" you speak of have "'goverened' Washington" (AND the world to a greater or lesser extent, depending on where and when one cares to look) AT LEAST since the 'industrial' Martini tipsters whipped the 'agrarial' Julip sipsters in 1860-something...

those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.

also, those who sneer at history are doomed to have it bite them in the ass.

Good lord, Jonathan, I was in a grim mood already but I think now you've made me want to go and shoot myself in an unblinkingly vigilant outburst of gratititude.

those who know history are doomed to repeat it, especially when they know history in the biblical sense.

"Strangely impotent" sounds kinda like an overdose of bad viagra. Saheli, one hopes you didn't shoot yourself but sought comfort in a straight shot or two of good, single malt vintage scotch. Swallowed quickly, not sipped.

Speaking of ingratitude, Churchill said in a 1922 letter to Lloyd George, “At present we are paying eight millions a year for the privilege of living on an ungrateful volcano out of which we are in no circumstances to get anything worth having.”

This whole mess is another case of OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK. Too bad they are not working for THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. The Iraqi People have a serious problem and always will, they live on top of a giant oilfield. They have to learn to take care or lose their own resourse. We, through the C.I.A., hired Saddam during the 1960's and supported him into power. In 2003 we took him down from power, he was our mess to clean up. Whem we leave we need to take him with us, we could give him to the Hague, or try him ourselves , maybe at Gitmo. Don't be mistaken Bush nor Cheney or anyone in Congress did this for the Iraqi people, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SUPPLIED THE BLOOD AND TREASURE TO REMOVE SADDAM. LET US REMOVE OUR BLOOD AND TREASURE FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND MAYBE PREVENT A SECOND
SADDAM. A true saying, THOSE WHO GIVE CAN TAKE AWAY. Mike Meyer-member Voter Initiative Political Party of Wyoming. VOTES AND SIGNATURES COUNT.

Yesterday I was talking with an elderly (92 years old) relative of mine. He was in the military during WWII, Korea, & Vietnam. He began to discuss the Iraq situation, but saying "'Nam" instead of Iraq. I pointed it out, and he laughingly agreed there were strong parallels.

He buys the "we did it because we're so idealistic, trying to bring democracy to the natives" line, unfortunately.

No, Jesus, I did not shoot myself, though shots of single malt vintage scotch might have done me more good than shots of codeine cough syrup.