Of course Iraq is a quagmire. The entire Middle East is a festering swamp that breeds terrorists like mosquitos. If there were some way to avoid setting foot in it, I would be all in favor of it, as would all Americans. But we don’t have a choice. Until the swamp is drained, it will continue to fester and produce the psychotic death cult that threatens us and the entire civilized world.
Establishing a stable democracy in a region that has never known democracy is not a simple matter. It requires a huge cultural shift, and takes a long time. Look at American history. Aaron Burr, as did others, tried to set up his own kingdom out west, and later killed the Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel. The Whiskey Rebellion had to be put down by federal troops. There were bloody draft riots in New York City. We had a civil war that killed more Americans than any other war we have ever been in. Reconstruction spawned the KKK, a terrorist organization that was a serious threat until recently, and that still exists today. Democracy in the U.S. did not just spring into existence in 1776. It has had a long and bloody history. The culture of tolerance of diversity and respect for law and democratic institutions that we take for granted today, didn’t begin to look like a sure thing until at least 100 years after the revolution. And this is in a country imbued in the English tradition of the Magna Carta and John Locke.
I wish there were a quick fix. If anyone has a better idea for dealing with the root causes of terrorism, than doing whatever it takes to foster democracy in the Middle East, I would love to hear it. John Kerry says he will pull out of Iraq during his first term. That’s not a good idea.