Absolutely. 

There is no doubt that in blood, treasure, lives, limbs and international standing this war has taken a serious toll. 

But that does not mean it has not been and will not prove to be worth the cost. 

A free Iraq is the first domino that must necessarily fall to bring democracy to the rest of the middle east.  This course we’ve taken is the only one I believe can prove to be the answer to the terror problem. 

Poverty does not breed terror, oppression from above does (because at some point someone becomes the regimes external enemy to divert hatred).  Democracy could not take hold with Saddam in the middle of that mess, and no internal revolution (which is in fact the best and longest lasting solution) was possible given the situation before the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Therefore, we needed to forcefully push over this first domino and hope that the rest follow suit. 

This is perhaps wishful thinking but it’s better than thinking peace talks could get anything done.  And let’s not try and bring up diplomacy instead of force...diplomatic efforts were impossible because Chirac and others were too invested in the Oil for Food scandal to be willing to jump on board.

No.

The middle east has thrived without a democracy for thousands of years. 

The US has been around for less than 300, and as a representative of democracy it has a long way to go, it’s be nothing without the weaponry, that’s why it invests so much on it.

By the way that john mccain ad picture is misleading, he’s twice the age (80 years old) today.

Stepping into Iraq was the landmine of the century! Sorry to post this downer, but those who know the locals and the history, not from hearing about it in church service, know, that the U.S with all its good intentions cannot turn history like a Banana Republic regime change. Iraq was never a country, there was no unity as such, and elected politicians should acknowledge their “errors” and figure a “graceful exit”, those who did not learn the Viet-Nam lesson , will have to pay to learn it one more time. Hubris has a price for which every member of the international community has to pa - for the few idealists who never wore uniform, who imagined one can get an historical change on the cheap.

Hmmm...I’d have trouble accepting that the middle east has “thrived” without a democracy.  And again, I’d have trouble accepting that America is only a great nation because we invest in weapons...my contention is that it has something to do with our belief in individual freedom to pursue whatever you choose. 

And KotOti, I’m loving your spotlights but didn’t think this would be your take on the war on terror!  The U.S. by no means intends to make a perfect democracy in a matter of a few years by regime change.  We, at least some of us, understand that the seeds of democracy will not take hold and be firmly rooted on their own for some time.  We have to start somewhere, though. 

A “graceful” exit at this point could have disastrous effects by one, allowing for a blood bath of killing the locals who helped out the U.S. and two, embolden terrorists all around the world because they’d learn the U.S. cannot follow through with anything they start, especially if it gets tough.