A Good War, At Three Years

Three years ago, Saddam was still in power in Iraq. He maybe even thought he could hang on; after all, he apparently believed he had WMDs, thanks to groveling subserviants who lied to protect their necks.

His Sunni minority ruthlessly held the Shi'ites and Kurds in a repressive vise, depriving them of fundamental human rights. And for those who spoke out, or who had relatives who spoke out, Abu Ghraib and other far worse prisons were ready to accept more innocents, to increase the volume of the screams of people who knew the difference between torture and interrogation.

All the wealth generated by Iraq's workers and its natural resources flowed into Hussein's coffers, so he could build lavish palaces and huge statues in praise of himself, while the good citizens of his nation lived in squallor, disease and want.

Yet on the third anniversary of this vile man's violent fall, the Socialist Workers Party, which should have been appalled by everything that Hussein did and represented, has this to say:


Funny, isn't it? Especially when you consider that the biggest terrorist in history, at least in terms of what he did to his own people, was a socialst worker himself, Josef Stalin.

This photo, from about three years ago, shows a bit of the mass-surrender of Hussein's troops, and the grace they received from US soldiers. It is a grace that today's protesters around the world would have a hard time finding replicated by their own governments.

The war is unpopular, but I'm having trouble remembering a popular war. I can't recall songs or street chants celebrating just how great it is to be fighting and losing some of our best men and women.

But war isn't about popularity; it's about protection. In this war, as unpopular as it may be, only the U.S. and its allies are the protectors. Every other faction is trying to kill and destroy in order to achieve power. We are losing our brave soldiers in order to give power away, so a country, a region, can be at peace.

So, on this third anniversary of the start of a good war, let's ask ourselves where we'd be if it weren't for men and women like National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Stephen Muncy of Berkley, Mass., here hugging his 8-year-old son, Matthew, who was willing to leave home for 15 months to do his part to bring peace and democracy to Iraq.

Thank God he's home. Please pray for God's grace and protection on the brave soldiers who remain, doing good work.

Photo credits: Reuters, Boston.com, MSNBC
Related Tags: Iraq, War, Protests, Soldiers, U.S.