Monday, January 31, 2005

Iraqi Votes

The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.
Attributed to Leon Trotsky (1879 - 1940), Russian revolutionary leader

I am heartened and glad to see Iraq vote and the many people show the courage to stand up to the insurgency.

Does the vote in Iraq justify attacking a country under myriad false pretenses – absolutely not. What about the more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers who died, the more than 10,000 U.S. wounded, the many thousands of Iraqi civilians wounded and killed by the insurgents and the U.S.? Does instituting martial law before people can vote constitute a success?

If you are part of the Bush administration you not only interpret the results as a success, you have delusions of grandeur: according to the Washington Post, speaking from the White House four hours after the polls closed, Bush interpreted the election as validation of his broader foreign policy agenda -- the spread of liberty throughout the Islamic world -- outlined 10 days earlier in his second inaugural address.

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