I’m trying to pull together my feelings concerning the events of the last few days. If anything I’m surprised at my ambivalence toward what’s been happening. I’m surprised at how easily Baghdad (or most of it) has been taken. I had feared a bloody scene of urban warfare which, thank God, did not come to pass. On the other hand, I don’t feel any sense of elation over the “victory.” Yes, I know militarily there is still fighting to be done. But winning this war means nothing if we do not also win the peace. And by that I don’t mean setting up an American puppet regime, but rather, rebuilding Iraq into a prosperous democratic country that can be a model for the rest of the Middle East. Maybe that’s the cause of my unease. Too often it seems a popular leader will come to power and then start repressing minorities beginning the cycle all over again. I hope Iraq can be rebuilt the way Germany (or at least West Germany) and Japan were following World War II. Whether that can really happen remains to be seen.

2:37:07 PM    

This is an actual quote reported yesterday by Reuters:

"I kinda felt like Madonna there, having flowers thrown at me."   -- Sgt. Brian Dow on the reception being given U.S. soldiers in Baghdad.

You just can't make this stuff up. In a related story, as the Iraqi Information Minister was driving home from work the other day:

Sources at FARK have reported that the Iraqi Information Minister, who denied the U.S. had invaded Baghdad is missing. "Not so," claims the chief, who was unavailable for comment, but denied it.

1:01:18 AM