Is There a Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Or are we tunneling into Iran?

by Joseph Sobran | September 6, 2007

Four years ago, President Bush enjoyed overwhelming
popular support for war on Iraq. Saddam Hussein had
something to do with the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001; he had, "no doubt," weapons of mass
destruction, probably nuclear, that threatened the entire
Western world; after his overthrow, democracy would erupt
contagiously throughout the Middle East; and the risks of
inaction were greater than the risks of action. Saddam
was quickly routed, his sons were killed, he was captured
and eventually hanged. The exultant theme was "Mission
Accomplished." Bush won reelection.

But somehow the war continued. Somehow victory was
incomplete. Europe and indeed most of the world opposed
the war. Still, after two years, optimism persisted.
NATIONAL REVIEW ran a cover story assuring us that "We're
Winning!"; Fred Barnes of THE WEEKLY STANDARD wrote that
the invasion of Iraq was "the greatest act of benevolence
one nation has ever performed for another."

Over the next two years, though, most Americans
soured on the war; most Iraqis wanted the American troops
to leave. The optimists became a defensive and desperate
minority. The Democrats recaptured both houses of
Congress. Republicans shunned association with Bush; many
were, and are, edging away from their former support. The
Iraq war had become the worst disaster since Vietnam.

Even Bush, the archoptimist, has had to change his
tune. He assured the American public that a "troop surge"
would reverse recent misfortunes; and a few days ago he
surprisingly embraced the Vietnam parallel -- not to
admit his folly, of course, but to warn us of the
horrifying consequences of another American defeat:
massacres, refugees, tyranny.-->-->-->-->--> Keep reading...