Washing Our Hands




Are our hands clean in the Iraq war in the latest cries for a course change? What is the real cost of war? What steps are necessary for the US to take to re-gain its place in the world as a real power broker and global super force? What does peace look like in the Middle East?

During this Thanksgiving break while giving thanks for living in the most blessed country on earth, I pondered the fate of the Iraqis peope. I was concerned about the increasing escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq and the US cries that the Iraqis must assume more responsibility for the security and governance of their country.


On some level this is almost ridiculous. Did we forget that we (US) invaded Iraq under false pretenses and that President Bush called for the death of its leadership? Did we just dismiss from our national conscience that under the USA's policy of eminent domain, we crushed the cradle of civilization and one of the oldest of social systems on the planet?

We have turned the lives of the Iraqi people upside down. We have nurtured and fostered a new generation of extremists and suicide bombers. We have caused collateral damage that we will never be able to explain or justify. We have rendered this society virtually powerless to be a self-governing democracy any time soon.


Let us remember that it is the USA's ill-conceived policy that has this country in a civil war and its rich heritage buried in the ruble of missiles, bombs and guns. And, remember too, that its US sponsored political leadership is ill- equipped and poorly trained to govern its people, institutions, and oppositional forces.

So, as I cut the turkey and sat down to a wonderful meal with my family, I wondered if the Iraqi people will come to know the peace we enjoy in this country? I wondered how many years it will take for them to overcome results of a 'Stay the Course' policy that decimated their culture? How about an earnest apology from the President for making a mess of Iraq: first to the Iraqis, then to the American people, and ultimately the world?