Iraq: The Right War

USA Today tells us about dead soldiers and their families. Some of the families are still true believers. And some are not. But what exactly keeps someone a true believer when they read something like this:

Williams was killed last Oct. 17, driving a Humvee back to camp after patrol duty south of Baghdad. He wasn't supposed to be in the vehicle that day; he had taken a friend's place. A roadside bomb exploded, and a piece of shrapnel sliced his aorta. Hundreds of Iraqis gathered around as Williams lay dead, his fellow soldier, Joe Wendel, recalls. They were cheering.

All these Republicans and others brainwashed by war - so pathetic. Reminds me of that Teddy Roosevelt quote:

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president.. is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonous to the American public.
- Teddy Roosevelt, in 1918 during the First World War

And there was this:

Too many people desire to suppress criticism simply because they think it will give some comfort to the enemy... if that comfort makes the enemy feel better for a few moments they are welcome to it.. because the maintenance of the right to criticism in the long run will do the country maintaining it a good deal more good than it will do the enemy.
- Senator Robert A. Taft, after Pearl Harbor.

Imagine if we had any uncowardly politicians after 9/11. Things could have been very different...