When is the last time Iraq was on the front page of the newspaper or the lead item on network television?  Based on the lack of coverage, you might think our troops have all but left the country.  Recently, however, Iraq was back in the news when the people of that country once again expressed their desires through the democratic election process.

Image by DVIDSHUB via Flickr

It will be up to the elected representatives to sort things out and govern the country on their own.  We Americans must allow this fledgling democracy to develop Iraqi-style, which means offering our help while not imposing our will.  This 7-year Iraq conflict has lasted longer than all of World War II.  It is so unpopular, here and abroad, many would rather abandon the investment of time, money and human resources and simply leave – a move scheduled to be accomplished by September of 2010. 

The US presence has dropped to some 90,000 men and women, but more than half that number will remain as advisors after the pullout.  By the end of the year, we will have spent nearly a trillion dollars in support of the Iraqi War.  The human price has been about 4,500 US troops killed, compared to less than 300 lost by all other countries combined.  In addition, 32,000 US troops have been wounded (mental conditions are not part of this number).

The toll on the Iraqis has been greater with 10,000 police and soldiers dead.  Civilians killed are pegged at 100,000.  But some estimate this number to be as high as 500,000, because of underreporting, according to About.com.  More than 55,000 insurgents perished during the years of the conflict.  Displaced Iraqis are estimated at 2.3 million and another 2.3 million are refugees in other countries.

With our stay in Iraq nearing an end, a stable government there could help:

 –   establish a democracy in a Muslim country in the Mid-East

 –   give Israel a little breathing room

 –   keep Al-Qaeda from garnering support and marshalling local forces

 –   deter Iran from starting a conflict in the area

 –   demonstrate to the people of neighboring countries that freedom is working

 –   serve notice to dictatorships that change is in the air

 –   bring home tired troops and provide backup to finish the job in Afghanistan

Reading the true results of the Iraqi election will be an ongoing process, but voting had its perils.  First, party headquarters were bombed and candidates assassinated.  Then, the citizens endured suicide bombings and rocket attacks.  Finally, there was coercion, fraud and voting irregularities.  Nonetheless, the courageous people of Iraq made their way to the polls and were proud to hold up purple-stained fingers to prove they voted. 

In the end, the people had their say; and now begins the difficult role of governing.  Americans know democracy is not always pretty in the making.  But it is the only free form of government.  Good luck, Iraq, and enjoy the adventure. 

Image by Brendan Loy via Flickr

Many pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945) recall the day Pearl Harbor came under siege.  I was only five, but I remember the mood of adults around me suddenly changed.  They were outside talking with neighbors or making phone calls; and, in between these activities, their ears were glued to the living room radio.  Even a kid my age, knew something big and bad had happened.

Within days, two family members joined the military as did several young men on the block where I lived.  Soon my dad began working at night in a defense plant.  And my mother was concerned about what we were going to eat, because food rationing was in place.  It was this way for the next four years.  During that time, I grew to understand there are casualties in war; it happened to families living close by.  However, the American people were willing to pay the price to defeat our common enemies.

Sixty years later, we experienced the second vicious violation of our home soil.  At first we were outraged and a little fearful there would be other attacks launched around the country.  We were shocked at the death of so many in the World Trade Center buildings, including the valiant police and firefighters who tried to save them.  We lost twice as many human beings on 9/11, all civilians, than we did at Pearl Harbor.  Memorial services were held.  The nation grieved.  And we vowed retaliation.

The people who carried out this horrible suicide mission all died, and many of the planners have been killed or captured.  Yet the leaders of the movement behind this deadly act and others have not been brought to justice.  Two wars and countless attempts at rounding them up have proved fruitless.  Have we become soft or been struck stupid?  Are we afraid the terrorists and those supporting their misguided efforts are going to be upset because we retaliate against them and what they stand for?  Of course they will be, because we are their enemy.  Do we have to depend on weak allies to give us the nod to wipe them out?  They are being silenced by fear, just as in the past.  When we get right down to it, does anyone honestly believe it’s possible to negotiate with terrorists?

I have visited the memorial at Pearl Harbor and read the names inscribed on the wall of each man who lost his life on December 7, 1941.  It was a deeply moving experience.  I have also been to the cemetery in Normandy, France and walked among the graves of the thousands who died in the name of freedom.  And I have gone to Ground Zero in New York on several occasions.  Today, I wonder how many more 9/11s it will take for us to be the strong, proud America we once were.   I pray we will not have to lose more U.S. citizens before we wake up to the fact that our way of life continues to be under attack.