Homespun Blogger Symposium Question XI

Do you think that the elections in Iraq vindicated President Bush's
decision to invade Iraq?

Well, I'll have to put my bottom line answer to this week's question
right up front.

I don't know yet. We all won't know for quite some time I believe.
(That's a couple of years for you impatient Americans that want
EVERYTHING RIGHT FRIGGING NOW!)

We are operating in a region where time isn't measured in days, weeks,
months or even years. We're working in a part of the world where
decades are considered winks of the eye....centuries getting closer to
a measure of time that is understood.

The problems that have plagued the Middle East have been there for
hundreds and thousands of years. This is not a new problem; it's just
an interesting twist on an old one! Probably the most recent twist
was the way the lines were drawn carving up the old Ottoman Empire at
the end of World War I. Throughout the Middle East, the League of
Nations got it wrong and we've pretty much been on the receiving end
ever since. In its present configuration, the "League" ain't making
much forward progress in the region either. Surprised? So, let's
just say that one day of free voting alone isn't going to change
thousands of years of history quickly. With time, the vote will be
seen as the first step in a journey in the right direction.

Secondly, we're going to be hounded from now until the cows come home
about when American troops will be withdrawn from Iraq. Again, it's
far too early to even discuss a withdrawal when the Iraqis barely have
a government in place and a constabulary force capable of enforcing
the rule of law. In the absence of Saddam's iron fist, chaos has
ruled with various factions trying to fill the power gap. Until the
Iraqis can enforce the law of the land, I don't believe we're
overstepping our bounds. I agree that we should stand ready to turn
control over to Iraqi forces as they prove their mettle, but we should
also stand ready to show them what well led soldiers are capable of
doing too. As we dissolved the previous regime's military (not unlike
taking away the toys of the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht at the end of
WWII) it will take time to ensure that Iraq places the right people in
the right positions of authority to prevent a military coup in the
near term.

Finally, the Iraqi people that have lived under a monarch, under an
empire, and under a military dictatorship for so many
years...democracy and freedom are probably VERY STRANGE to them. We
take for granted the many rights we are guaranteed under the
Constitution. This Sunday was the first time the Iraqi people have
voted in a "real" election in a generation! It is guaranteed that
nobody will receive 100% of the vote this time, like Saddam had done
in the past.

So let's let this question simmer on the back burner for awhile before
we make our final call on this.

Do I believe that we're on the right track with Iraq? Absolutely.

Do I wish we could find the missing WMD? Of course.

Do I think we need to continue to crack down on illegal and unsanctioned proliferation of WMD? No doubt!.