[The_Rorschach]

I think everyone is well aware of my stance on Bush, I've compared him unfavourably with Grant, Taft and Clinton who are each shining examples of what not to be when you grow up. But considering my idea of a President is embodied in men like Washington, Madison, Jackson and Truman. . .My views are by no means popular.

In regards to Iraq. The United Nations was founded on the ideal that war was an out-dated method of statesmanship. According to our Western culture, diplomatic means must be exhausted before war should ever be considered. After all, war is a grave and far reaching horror, and we would live in dark times indeed when it becomes the first of all possible solutions proposed. Yet diplomacy is the reasonable solution to reasonable problems. When the problem is unreasonable, unreasonable solutions are required and that translates into war.

War, once embraced, should never be judged against its possible benefits. The Federalist Papers described the only types of war which should be fought as just wars. Wars which must be waged in order to ultimately save lives, liberate others from tyranny, to enforce treatise brokered by the United States and broken by another.

Do Iraqi's live under tyranny? Unquestionably. Is it the United State's responsibility to liberate them? No. We have not been asked to do so by the citizens of the Iraqi Republic, who have the sole power of dethrowning the sovereign power emplaced. Furthermore, the Iraqi's government has not broken any treatise with the US. The post war accord was signed with the UN, and unless we have chosen to replace the will of the UN with our own, it is not for us to enforce it through use of arms.

So why do I support the war? Because ultimately it will save lives. It will save the lives of countless Kurds who would otherwise be forced to struggle for mere existance - And if anyone doubts this, take a look at the language used when chastising Turkey for their threat of invasion, and you'll see we were willing to lose a valuable ally to protect what amounts to a miniscule minority. It will save the lives of Iraqi citizens wracked with oppression and starvation because Hussein cared more for building his own power base than he did for meeting the needs of his people. This, I believe, is the ultimate rationale for a just war. I only wish the man who was leading us into it was just himself.