Well said, Steve! I sure hope you're right about Iran. It seems like they have enough young people to fight their own internal revolution.

Not even the pro-war people fully realize how different the world looks today versus 3 weeks ago. Good or bad, Bush will certainly go down in history as one of the most relevant world leaders ever. With a little luck, maybe in 50 years or so we will look back and marvel at how we witnessed the events which led the Middle East into the 21st Century.

Throttle yes! But, they DO see it. It's how they get paid, one way and another. Call it the Jesse Jackson 'business' model.

Bravo. If only the media would display the same optimism and pride. Reporters in Baghdad showed embarrasment and consternation today not at torture chambers, child prisons or poison gas, but THE AMERICAN FLAG being briefly displayed.

Dan Rather and his ilk have set a new low today during their coverage of the statue demolition. These reporters would make me puke, but they aren't worth the effort.

Don't have the link handy, but Jeff Jarvis has pointed out some very helpful fallout of all the media coverage that the Arab world has seen.

They're being forced to take a long, hard look at the people who've been inciting them to riot. They look at the happiness of the Iraqi people, and now they're starting to wonder if they haven't been sold a bill of goods.

We HAVE to make Iraq work. Because once we do, everyone is going to want it. They'll want freedom like water, like air, and once they believe that we're not really trying to oppress, when they see that the infidels treat them better than their own, the cycle of hate and violence will be broken.

I have two words for you to remember if you get a bit down in the upcoming emotional rollercoster that will make up the post war world.

"childrens jail".

There will no longer be any "childrens jails" in Iraq.

For all the screaming about our "rush to war", I doubt that the kids that ran out of the prison will say we were in too much of a "rush to war". In some ways, I hang my head in shame that it took us as long as it did to get in there and end it.

So remember when you hear the words "no blood for oil" to calmly say " childrens jail" over and over. It wil keep you keenly focused on "why we fight".

We fight to bring an end to "childrens jails" and any regime that would even conceive of such a thing.

Mark my words, what we are doing in Iraq will be the 'shot heard round the world". Being an islamic fascist dicatorship just fell out of fashion. ( and good riddance to bad rubbish)

Word

The children's jail was emptied. Not in their name.

The statues were toppled. Not in their name.

People will be able to truly vote for their leader, without a gun held to their head. Not in their name.

People can live without fear of being raped or tortured by their government. Not in their name.

It's true that the civilian casualties were not in their name, but I think the balance sheet shows SO much more good was done. And as usual, not in their name.

Great essay and I agree with the above sentiments... but I feel compelled to quibble with use of the word "enormity".

Enormity used to mean something of great evil, not just of great size. Now it's a bit more vague, and is commonly used both ways, but it seems wisest to avoid it in an essay like this, since there are crazy Lefties out there who really would think we've been up to great evil over there.

Apologies for the quibble. Love the site. =)

Draw a six hundred mile circle with Baghdad International Airport at the center. This is the new footprint of American airpower in the Mideast. It's an entirely new game.

Yes Fred, I'll be curious how many planes we leave behind based on land. No more need to get pesky overflight permission, or conspicuously move an aircraft carrier into place in the Mid-east.

Good stuff mostly, except for the talk about revolts or "regime change" in other Middle Eastern nations. Maybe Iran without US involvement but Syria and Saudi Arabia arereally entrenched regimes. There will be no popular uprising in Syria until the US deposes of its leaders. The US's experience in Iraq showed that people in a dictatorship don't rise up until its safe to do so.

And Saudi Arabia? That country's more likely to go real fundamentalist, Iran-style except Sunni, than become a Western Democracy.

Sorry to rain on anyone's parade, but the US will have to do some real work on Iraq and its neighbors before any real change comes.

Potemkyn, you're right to an extent, but you know, even without invasion we could see a lot of these guys do a Khadafi-- remember when he was bad guy #1 and now he's like "Pan-Arab cause? What Pan-Arab cause?" Junior Assad is a scumbag, but there's a very good chance he'll see the wisdom of being a very circumspect scumbag for the next several years, at least. It's a start! Saudi Arabia is a bigger mess-- read the new Atlantic piece on what it's like to run a country where everybody's on the dole and their conception of "on the dole" is to be able to gamble and whore away a million dollars a month-- and I do worry about that, but you know, I worry a little less today.

As for convincing and/or throttling the people who don't get it, well, that's THEIR problem. I figure they saw the pictures today, what can my words add to that? Sorry they're on the wrong side of history. I used to be one of them, but that was when I thought they too believed in liberty, human rights, feminism, the destruction of tyranny, and all those other things the US Army spreads wherever it goes these days.

One other thing -- war tends to clarify things, and it is very clear that these people were wrong on this one.

It would be worth remembering who they are for when things are less clear in the future.

Potemkyn,

What you are pointing to is exactly why we know there is much work to be done. You can't just liberate people who've been under a totalitarian regime for 20+ years, then give 'em the keys to the city.

There will be need for administration, for education, for re-education in some cases. THere will be need for grass-roots democracy efforts, and reconciling of hatreds through means other than AK's.

The same applies, in spades, to places like Saudi and Syria.

But the process, the first step has begun. Yesterday (or last week), it was an enormous trip, not yet started. Today, while Tikrit and Mosul are still not yet liberated, the journey seems far less daunting.

Gee, I don't know if everyone who read the above article was in favor of it, or if any kind of contrary word has been deleted. (I do think the owner of this site does have the right to delete)

It is peculiar that these other consequences of success in Iraq only appeared after the conflict started. At the inception, the US only talked about Iraq's violation of UN resolution 1441. It was their sole excuse for the invasion. Only after such facts, such as Israel being in violation of more UN resolutions than Iraq, came to light, did ideas like bringing democracy to the Iraqi's come into the picture.

First it was stated that we wanted Iraq to disarm, then we wanted saddam to leave the country. Having saddam leave the country was not part of the UN resolution, (even though it was a good idea).

What I, and I think others have a problem with, was our Administration's total disregard for due process. Again, although it was a good idea to oust Hussein, Bush never adequately made his case. This sets a very scary presidence. Imagine if tomorrow, the police believe that you are doing something illegal in your house, and although they have not provided any proof of your ciminality, they raid your house, destroy your belongings, and kill you. The thought of that is scary. That is why we have laws that prevent such things from happening. And that is why we support those laws as being "equally" inforced, not just for ourselves, the supposed good guys, but also for those living in "bad" neighborhoods were criminals abound. It is only equal treatment under the law that keeps such things from happening in the US. - And this is the case on an international level, as well. I very much fear that this Administration will, by its show of blatant disregard for due process, will begin justifying anyone, anything as a threat to the US, including its own citizens. Some have actually accused people protesting this war of aiding and abetting the enemy. There is no room for dissent for these people. There is a tendency to view people who don't agree with the Administration as criminals.

Yes, we are the beacons of freedom to the world. This is, unless you disagree with us.

Here ends the ramble.

On the due process thingy:

Imagine that you stage an armed invasion of your neighbor's house. The police throw you out, and then tell you to get rid of the weapons you used to do it.

So you stand around saying "I got rid of all the weapons, but I have no proof whatsoever of this because I'm just so scatterbrained" and giggle airheadedly.

At what point are the police justified in assuming that had you actually gotten rid of the weapons, you'd be able to prove it?

This is *not* at all like the case you describe, Kevin. Your version is like blaming Britain for the Falklands war. There's a prior step in there that you're not mentioning because it undercuts the foundation of your argument.