Election Goes On the 'Benefit' side

I opposed the invasion of Iraq for the most heartless of reasons; when looking at the costs and benefits of the war I thought the costs greatly outweighed the benefits. So far I believe history shows me correct, Bin Laden is now a hero in the Arab and Muslim worlds, the Middle East is less stable, our military has been decimated (we have virtually no ability to respond right now), our strong power has demonstrated its weakness and our soft power largely dissipated into the wind.

But make no mistake, when comparing the costs and benifits, a free and democratic Iraq weighed heavily on the 'benefit' side of the ledger. Of course, we don't have that yet, but yesterday's election was a fantastic step in that direction. Best of all, it gives us one last honeymoon period to get the people of Iraq back on our side; let's hope Bush uses this honeymoon to the utmost advantage, not in this country but in theirs.

I've wanted Bush to prove me wrong about Iraq and so far he has failed in spades. But most of the 'costs' have already been paid, let's see if we can start filling out that 'benefit' side.