Instead, Bush and company thought the now leaderless Iraqis would be so overwhelmed at the unasked for shot at democracy that they would magically maintain civil order themselves without any kind of framework to do so. So basically, I think this mess lies entirely with the Bush administration. At this point things are such a mess there is no way out except for enough bloodshed for one of the dominant factions in Iraq to take over and return the country to the state of a functional autonomous nation.

Unfortunately whatever faction that is is going to be another military dictatorship, but this time a religous one.

Metaphysical guilt means that every human being is responsible for injustices committed anywhere in the world, but especially crimes that are committed in our presence and with our knowledge.

That’s sums up why I think it’s bull**** when charges of anti-Americanism are thrown at me and others who want an end to this horrible war on Iraq.

Those like MvdG want us to focus on external threats (Iran) while virtually ignoring our own misconduct at home and abroad. We have a moral obligation to shore up our own problems, to prevent the crimes that our state commits in our name before we even begin to deal with hypothetical threats from “rogue-nations.”