Expectations from a war

Consider this a sequel to the last post.

Over the past few days, Candidate Obama has been heavily emphasizing his message of "Afghanistan war good, Iraq war bad". While I agree with the logic behind his argument, I flatly reject it - after at least 100,000 civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan caused as direct or indirect consequence of American invasions, America has lost the moral authority to seek redress and justice for 9/11.

Harking back to American Conservative, Leon Hadar writes:

Meanwhile, the rest of us continue to pay the costs of juggling imperial imposition and democracy promotion. And contrary to the expectations that many opponents of the neocons have invested in the "antiwar" Democratic presidential candidate, these costs will only rise if President Obama decides to simultaneously play Queen Victoria and Woodrow Wilson. He seems inclined to do just that.

Yes, he seems inclined to do just that and everyone seems too willing to play along.

In one poignant sequence in Lions for Lambs, the hawkish Senator Jasper Irving hits "liberal" journalist Janine Roth where it hurts most by pointing out, truthfully for once, that when the US invaded Iraq, it was the now-righteous media which played cheerleader to the charade. It looks like they are falling for it all over again.