The U.S.-led war in Iraq is winding down. The Pentagon has announced major combat operations are over. U.S. forces are conducting mopping up operations. Two aircraft carrier battle groups have been ordered out of the Persian Gulf.
There is, of course, still much to be done now that Saddam Husseins regime has been toppled by American military might. In the short term, the U.S. seeks to restore order and bring in humanitarian aid. Long term, the U.S. hopes to help establish some form of democracy to a nation ruled by an iron-fisted dictator for nearly three decades, and, of course, to root out weapons of mass destruction.
At the risk of sounding like one of those ubiquitous war experts – which I am not – that are all over the news, here is my take on the war and war-related events:
– Thankfully, none of the dire predictions made by the peaceniks and the ultra left crowd – hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, an environmental disaster due to Iraqi forces blowing up their own oil wells and dams, a massive uprising in the Arab world against America, an increase in terrorist attacks against U.S. interests around the world, etc. – have come to pass. Loathe to admit the war has gone extremely well thus far, the anti-war crowd stubbornly refuses to admit they were wrong.
– And speaking of the anti-war movement, it seems to have been losing steam for quite some time now. A recent advertised protest/vigil by United for Peace of Pierce County near the federal courthouse at Union Station on April 16 turned out to be three women with large handmade signs. The one sign I managed to read said, Drunken Frat Boy Drives Country Into Ditch. Wow, with such an astute observation of current events, its hard to understand why the anti-war movement isnt doing so well.
– And speaking of protests, there have been some demonstrations by Iraqis against the U.S. presence in their country. I think thats great, in a certain paradoxical sense. While I dont relish protests against America, isnt it gratifying to see the Iraqi people exercising a right theyve never known under the former rule of Saddam Hussein?
– Do you think its coincidence that just as membership in the Axis of Evil has been reduced in dramatic fashion by one-third, North Korea has agreed to multilateral talks regarding nuclear weapons?
My Two Cents is a weekly column where the author – who is unabashedly rooting for America in the war – gets in his two cents worth, in spite of the old saying you only get a penny for your thoughts.
