Paths to Peace Have Potholes

Peace in Iraq can only come when the warring stops and Iraqis are fully in charge of their country. Peace did not happened when the sign on the ship said "Mission accomplished." What an absurd moment. I have tremendously ambivalent feelings about this whole adventure.

As a beginning I looked to Steve Clemons, who has been trying to find the middle ground thinking about what are the next best things to do. Many thinkers and serious bloggers are still struggling with these thorny issues, Matthew Yglesias, for example.
On the one hand, for me it seems very negative most of the time. Because ends do not necessarily justify means, I think it was a misadventure as far as how we got into this unilateral preemptive war. The current investigation of the White House for alleged leaks of classified information, epitomizes the administration's lack of good faith and acceptible behavior in the run-up to war.
Whether to go to war is no longer the question. Here we are. And, out of respect for the people of Iraq, we cannot just withdraw in the middle of the current process. I wish it were otherwise, because the cost so far has been awful in so many ways. U. S. military losses are perilously near 2000, not to mention the thousands of Iraqis, and a great deal of our money.
I am pessimistic about when the U.S. will be able to leave there for good. Many obstacles to success remain before a functional Iraq will emerge. The recent constitutional referendum results have not been certified. A small but vigorous four-part insurgency continues. And the United States presence seems to still be necessary, according to many ordinary Iraqis. Day to day life for the average family has not improved as fast as it should have. After all the time and money spent, electricity, water, jobs, and security remain in too short supply. There has been an enormous amount of mismanagement of the reconstruction effort. On October 18, a House subcommittee on the Iraq War and Reconstruction, chaired by Representative Christopher Shays, along with Ranking Member Henry Waxman, held an excellent hearing. The hearing provided much of the information upon which I base my current opinions. It is worth watching it via video on C-Span, here.
On the other hand, I occasionally feel positive. Today, after too much time and too many deaths, peace in Iraq seems just a bit more possible. I am watching the beginning of the trial of Saddam Hussein and his associates. And after three hours, the trial has recessed until November.
It feels like a good thing. The remarkable progress of the political process seems like a good thing. Because of the enormous sacrifices of the men and women in both the Iraq and coalition armed forces, there is just enough security to bring the process this far. It is also a tribute to the efforts of many non military people of good faith, from all around the world, who have worked so hard behind the scenes to help this new nation come into being.
Democrats are grappling with these and many related questions about the path to war or peace in Iraq. This AP story maintains that it may be their political "litmus test." During the months after 9/11, I watched Democratic leaders take positions for or against going to war. I could sense their ambivalence often matched mine. I choose to believe that they all did their best, given their patriotism, and misinformation or lack of information at the time. Therefore, since I believe they acted in good faith at the time, I believe they can again act in good faith with their upcoming difficult "paths full of potholes."