Not to mention that any shread of democracy that Wolfowitz dreams about will not exist as soon as we leave. Iraq will list us as an enemy as Iran does.

>>>>>The "what do we do now" issue is completely separate from the "how we got here" issue, and to use it as a means of absolving someone of wrongdoing or to divert attention from the latter issue is simply a red herring.
>>>>
>>>>Why are we debating how we got here, if we're not interested in doing anything about it?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>As to the truly great things that are happening, what would that be?
>>>>
>>>>26,074,906 people have been freed of a dictator and are working to govern themselves democracticly.
>>>
>>>Subtract about 100,000 who died in the process.
>>
>>Ok, 25,974,906 people.
>>
>>In other words, for every Iraqi that died, according to your statistic, 250 more are free.
>>
>>Is that worth it?
>>
>>You know what, I don't know. I never expect I will know, and I would never expect anyone else to know.
>>
>>These types of decisions fall well beyond the wisome and insight of a single person.
>>
>>On the other hand, these types of decisions are made in the world, and the decision as to whether the Iraq invasion was worth it has been made.
>>
>>I don't think there's much we can do about it.
>>
>>Do you?
>>
>>On the other hand, let's put this into more perspective. Are the 25million the only Iraqis that have been freed? Or will many future generations of Iraqis be free now? And what if this spread throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Africa?
>>
>>In that, case, it would be right to say that within my lifetime alone, perhaps a 100 million, or a billion have been freed at the cost of 100,000 lives.
>>
>>Again, is that worth it? I don't know, but I think the factors are larger than we can understand, and that is why I think you're wrong to know with so much certainty that it wasn't worth it.
>>
>>I can't say for sure it was worth it. But it has happened, and whatever happens next cannot ignore that reality.
>
>
>Mike, Mike, Mike. You should really lose the delusion that freedom will "spread throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Africa." It ain't gonna happen. It isn't even going to last in Iraq when we are no longer there to prop it up at gunpoint. Iraq will plunge into civil war and at the end of it a new strongman -- more likely, a Muslim theocracy similar to the one in Iran -- will emerge. Iraqis won't be any more free than they ever were.