The drumbeat is growing louder against the war in Iraq. Why? Because most people, even conservative intellectuals, have some common sense.
To his credit, George Will was one of the first conservatives to express doubt about Bush’s Iraq folly, and he continues to point out the absurdity of the administration’s case. Money quote:
Last week, in the latest iteration of a familiar speech (the enemy is “brutal,” “we’re on the offensive,” “freedom is on the march”) that should be retired, the president said, “This is a moment of choosing for the Iraqi people.” Meaning what? Who is to choose, and by what mechanism? Most Iraqis already “chose” — meaning prefer — peace. But in 1917 there were only a few thousand Bolsheviks among 150 million Russians — and the Bolsheviks succeeded in hijacking the country for seven decades.
This quote summarizes the problem with Bush’s utopian fantasy that freedom and democracy can flourish in Iraq and the Middle East. Of course most people want to be free and have some form of self-governance. Yet humans are also susceptable to tribalism and religious fanaticism. Too often throughout human history those forces have trumped the desires of good people to be free.
Bush doesn’t see this. He has faith in his position, despite the evidence that his policies are leading to disaster.
