I really am torn these days.
Words can not express the joy I feel for the Iraqi people, that they are free from the Baathist regime that they lived under for far too long. At the same time, I can't say that I thought the war was justified (yet).
I've studied enough politics to know the roles of governments and the right for states to have self-determination. Yet, hundreds of thousands died under the Hussein regime. And it angers me.
The problem with politics is that you have to be prepared to be callous. Because your best interest and compassion aren't always the same thing. When I thought about this conflict, I've tried very hard to keep emotion out of the argument - because emotion generally doesn't make for good policy. And if WMD are not found, then this war wasn't in our national interest at all. Yet, thousands upon thousands of lives will be spared due to the end of totalitarian government in Iraq.
These two things have been colliding in my head for years. It's why I hate politics so damn much. I just wanna be a nice guy, drink some beer and watch White Sox games. Stupid conscience.