Democracy in Iraq; One Tall Mountain

There is a "truism" . . .
There is a "truism" in political science that says you cannot give a form of government to anyone. It has to come from within. I would add that, sure, opinions, "faithfulness," bidding, servitude, etc., can be bought . . . for a while. But it's not true conversion. And, watch your back!

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

As truisms go, this one seems particularly true, Charli. And in the case of Iraq, the expectation that people there would automatically desire an American-style democracy, when they had no previous experience of anything like it, seems incredibly optimistic.

A couple of other thoughts . . .
Another "truism" along this line:

"Those who do not learn from history, are bound to repeat it."

What WERE these people thinking who are running this show (and started the whole thing)? Haven't they read any history?

There is a thought that keeps rattling around in my mind. I'm not certain now whether I may have read it somewhere. In a whisper, I ask: Was this simply a reelection strategy from the beginning and for absolutely NO OTHER reason? Have you heard this? Too awful to contemplate.

I think Bush truly believed this was something God wanted him to do, which is even scarier.

That is kind of ironic since the God (in the Bible) was violently opposed to democracy.

Democracy For Iraq
History has shown that in order for a democracy to work, there has to be a strong middle class. What little middle class there was in Iraq has been
significantly weakened by our invasion (and by the way, our own middle class is disappearing as outsourcing and economic hardships progress.
Our government (as I see it) seems to feel that the wealthy deserve to make the decisions and get the major tax breaks (and government contracts). If george had not been born into a family of money and influence in these times, he would be a clerk or a car salesman.
I really am frightened by the direction we are heading!