Point: Force Feeding Government, One Country at a Time

I have rewritten the intro to this piece seven times. I have attempted each time to convey a witty analogy of how four more years of George W. Bush is like waking up with the equivalent of a aestically displeasing bedmate and a awful hangover. Each attempt has been painfully unfunny, and would destroy the miniscule "political capital" that I have built up. (rest assured, all of the out takes will make the point vs point DVD)

I chose instead to begin this piece this way:

"America will not impose our style of government on the unwilling."

The quote came from yesterday's inauguration. President Bush thanked our allies in the war on terror, and then made that comment. Now, despite being the co-creator of an critically acclaimed blog, I'm having a tough time understanding how that quote makes any sense. Isn't that EXACTLY what we've done in the war against Iraq? We invaded a country, slapped their military around, and are trying to change their style of government to ours. How is that not imposing?

I've written a specific post about the lack of evidence in invading Iraq, but here's the quick recap: C.I.A. inspectors left Iraq shortly before Christmas, and last week filed a report stating that they could not find any weapons of mass destruction. Interesting how that was news for only one day. It makes me think that the news isn't as liberal as Bill O'Reilly and Fox News would like you to believe. It also makes me pine for some impartial news, but let's skip my ADD-addled digressions for the moment.

So, President Bush led us into a war without any evidence, and is now forcing our government on the people of Iraq. No sane Democrat would argue that Iraq isn't a better place without the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and the Hussein-ettes. I, for one, would argue that Democracy is the greatest form of government in the history of the world, and I'm sure that once implemented, Iraq will be a better country. But, who gave the United States the power to take over other countries when we see fit? Not to mention the curious timing of invading Iraq when we couldn't find the real enemy, Osama Bin Laden. What proven link is there between Al Qaida and Iraq? After reviewing the facts in such a matter, how can any American support this? Doesn't this go against the principals that the country was built on?

This President has become Anakin Skywalker; he's standing at the ledge between the force and the dark side. I've become too pessimistic to think that this administration will change their foreign policy to: think before you act. It's not looking good; Colin Powell, a.k.a. the only sane cabinet member, has just pulled a Elvis and left the building. We can only hope that the Democrats can start to provide the checks and balances that is their job, instead of reprising their roles as the "yes men". (See the Vote to Invade Iraq)

That is our "only hope".