George Bush and His Inconsistent Policies on Democracy

Eighteen more U.S. soldiers died today in Iraq. I often wonder if anyone I knew is over there or among the deceased. I used to live in Washington, D.C. my freshman year in college and many of my friends, as well as myself, had acquaintances enlisted. As a mother and a human- I pray that they all come home safe- but as a realistic law student (an avid history buff), I know that this will not be possible.

I was opposed to the war from the start, however, after much consideration, I no longer can say a total pull out is the best option for all involved. My concern with a total pull out is similar to those concerns already raised- that a premature pull out will leave Iraq worse off than it was before the war began. That the insurgency will continue and we will have left the Iraqi people in a state of limbo- either worse or the same as the country was under Saddam Hussein. I am not sure that it would be responsible to completely pull out at this point. However, I know that the course we are currently undertaking is much too similar to Vietnam. Furthermore, George Bush's foreign policy is irresponsible and reactive.

So let me go on to address an issue I am sure about- our original purpose for the war and the attainableness of the goal(s) that the war was supposed to usher in. For purposes of clarification, isn't this war called "Operation Iraqi Freedom"? At least, it was initially. But how free are the Iraqis? Being under the law of another country, subjected to an occupation by foreign invaders, the Iraqi people are now under the exclusive control of the United States.

Does George Bush really want to promote worldwide democracy or just a U.S. political agenda that does not necessarily embody democratic principles? We need only look at Haiti for the answer to that- and it seems to be the later of the two.