During the Christmas holidays, some of us might be lucky enough
to spend time with loved ones, hunkered down in the embrace of
sweet indolence. But for some, the holidays will be defined by
sand, grit, grime, fear, and extreme vigilance. These are members
of the armed forces, pursuing a military mission that every day
seems increasingly doomed to failure.
One school of thought holds the Iraq War was launched by
starry-eyed idealists hoping to utilize the domino theory by
spreading democracy one nation at a time throughout the Middle
East. Another group would have you believe it’s all about power,
oil, and cementing the United States as the world’s only
superpower. Regardless, the war has not gone as anyone in
Washington, D.C., had hoped. Nearly 3,000 American servicemembers
have been killed there, and far more have been seriously wounded;
also, the American public has been saddled with a debt that some
economists predict will eventually reach $3 trillion.
Estimates for Iraqi casualties prove far more slippery, ranging
from 56,000 to untold hundreds of thousands. Although Iraqis did go
to the polls to elect the leaders of their newly formed government,
it remains increasingly doubtful whether that government is capable
of holding the warring factions at bay.