I wasn't there. I'm a Palo Altan, but I support the troops, and I hope we are successful in Iraq as soon as possible, and then everyone can come home.

Wars are lost when the will is gone. That Marine's mother is urging on the people who would kill her son.

I agreed with going into Iraq at the time we did it. I thought the reasons justified it. (I believed the lies being told about WMD and I didn't like the way Saddam refused to comply with agreements set up after the first Gulf War.) What I DIDN'T like was the way we did it. We talked about winning hearts and minds, but we failed to turn words into actions and behavior. We turned the whole project into an economic boon for Haliburton, which overcharged while botching. We compromised our own principles on human rights all over the place. We took the "Go it alone" attitude instead of working with the rest of the world on the problem. We keep claiming moral high-ground when we are not there.

Unfortunately, I am afraid we passed the point where there are any good options left long ago. The place we are now is exactly where Saddam set us up to be, stuck to the tar baby. The big picture is now much bigger and more complex than it should be, due to our own actions, inactions, and bad choices.

I don't know what the best choices would be going forward, every direction is fraught with peril. I *DO* know that we are not going to execute ANY good solutions as long as Bush and his crew are in charge, I don't believe they are interested in good solutions that are not self-serving. I *DO* know that I am concerned about our people over there, but I am also concerned about the people of Iraq. We need a very bright and good leader to deal with that situation, and Bush, by his own admission, is "not the sharpest tool in the shed."

I never thought I would say this, but I miss Bill Clinton.