Throwing Stones

I've been stymied trying to figure out why people are so negative toward Bush and what we're doing in Iraq.

Should we be "pro-war"? Well, of course not. But unless you subscribe to the strictest forms of pacifism, there are still some things worth fighting for. And the fight in Iraq lands squarely in that category.

Myth #1: We're fighting for a lie, or Bush lied, or the only single reason we ever had to even look cross-eyed at Iraq was WMD.

No, President Bush couldn't have lied. To say he lied means that he somehow knew what the CIA, British and Russian Intelligence, Clinton, and perhaps Saddam himself did not know -- that there were no deployed and working WMD in Iraq. The President would have to be clairvoyant to have been able to lie on this subject.

Instead Bush presented the WMD issue as one part of the overall threat a dictator like Saddam posed. Supporting terrorism (remember that Saddam was paying suicide bombers in Israel) with nearly unlimited financial resources was one of the main issues actually at play.

But if you're looking for a connection to the War on Terror consider the following:

• To remove a terror supporting regime fits the overall goal of winning the War on Terror.
• To draw terrorists to a battlefield there instead of here is a wise move in the War on Terror.
• To sow democracy and liberty in that part of the world as a long term solution to undermine the roots of Islamic terrorism is fundamental to actually winning the War on Terror.

Myth #2: We're really there to steal the oil.

Ok, then we must officially be the most inept thieves in history because the last time I checked the lack of oil was putting gas prices well above two dollars a gallon.

Myth #3: Democracy can't work in the Middle East.

Is it going to be difficult? Yes. But to say it is impossible is simply racist. It took us years to establish a working democratic form of government in this country – it will take a while there also. That said, we're successfully moving along at a very rapid pace.

And what goal could possibly be more virtuous than to selflessly fight for the liberty of other people? American soldiers have been doing that for over a century. It's our greatest contribution to civilization since the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Myth #4: We've suddenly offended our Allies.

Oh, you mean the French? Read a history book – they've been offended by us to one degree or another for a very long time. We're an offensive bunch. But we also tend to save the world's collective behinds on a regular basis, so cut us some slack. Besides if you have someone mad at you, it probably means you've stood up for something once in your life. Leaders tend to draw criticism.

Myth #5: We're losing the war in Iraq.

We are? How many times do the Iraqis have to meet deadlines and accomplish historic feats to convince people that this is working. No war of this type has done this much with so little bloodshed. Never have troops been so well protected and cared for. Never has so much been dramatically changed with so little upheaval to the civilian population. Again, we need some historic perspective. The history books a generation from now will marvel at what has been done here. All we can seem to do now is gripe about the inconveniences.

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Again, I'm not for war. But as a history buff, I feel like people are turning a blind eye to reality simply because they don't personally like the President.