End of a Cartoon War

On the one year anniversary of the toppling of the statue of Hussein you would think that the grateful Iraqis would be anxiously awaiting the transfer of power from the Americans who freed them to the government that they had chosen. Of course, we're reassured by our own government that the Iraqis aren't ready to govern themselves, yet. I'll let you ponder that one on your own.

But what do we have, instead? Chaos. The largest influx of dead and wounded into Dover since the infamous "Mission Accomplished" carrier landing. And even more telling, at a time when the U.S. wants Al-Jazeera out of Fallujah we're seeing the violence in Iraq for what is, in reality, the first time.

There were no WMDs. There were no ties to al Qaida, at least before the war. And now the last misconception, that we were there to help, is eroding. The Iraqis will no longer help us, saying "We did not sign up to fight Iraqis." Instead, we hear that Shi-a and Sunni are joining together to oust the occupying army.

Iraq has ceased to be a cartoon war, an epic battle between good and evil, referred to only briefly in nightly news casts that don't show us pictures of the dead, that don't refer to the men coming home without limbs, that never mention the thousands of Iraqis killed in an effort to "free" them. Now that we're forced to actually LOOK at the carnage that is being carried out in our name we realize, as a country, that people are dying. But we no longer recall the reasons why.

I pity the people in Iraq. Our soldiers, the Iraqis, the "coalition" who are trying to help. Good people forced into hell on earth by a madman (or two.) I pity them because it's up to you and I to fix it. I fear that we're not strong enough.

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

4/12/04