Seven years of failure in Iraq, and still counting

Almost unnoticed, the war in Iraq has just entered year number eight. Anti-war demonstrators gathered in front of the courthouse on Third Street to mark this anniversary of dark failure. Many in this group have been demonstrating since before the March 19, 2003, invasion of Iraq.

To them, I say thank you for your dedication, your commitment. It’s a tragedy that the truth of your vision and clear reason was not recognized and acted on seven years ago.

Seven long and costly years. You may recall the rush to war in March 2003. One of the stated reasons given for this unseemly haste to embrace tragic consequences was a stated concern for our troops. It was frequently mentioned by leaders of this scramble into war that to delay war would mean our operations might stretch all the way into the hot weather of summer 2003.

Weather is often a factor in the conduct of wars. We missed this forecast big time.

What do we celebrate after seven years of war? “Victory” has not been realized, not even defined. “Mission Accomplished” is a standard phrase for failure among political satirists. The present conditions in Iraq, after hundreds of billions of dollars and two elections, remain forlorn and combustible.

I wonder if the water and electricity in Baghdad are on yet.

Given the bleak present and the pall hanging over the future, we’re left with the shreds of the past to sift through. But who has the stomach for another post-mortem on the harum-scarum search for WMDs? Should we revisit the war plans that resulted in a deadly shower of IEDs instead of Cheney’s promised candy and flowers? Can we bear to look again at the human toll, 4,300 brave Americans and 100,000 Iraqis dead? And the crippled in body and mind beyond count.

One of the most recent fallen heroes in the Iraq-Afghanistan wars came from Hungry Horse, Montana. He was 12 years old when the Iraq war began. Did you know any 12-year-olds back in 2003? Do you know any today?
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The Tribune-Star