Soccer Mom: Unplugged

In a press conference being cast throughout the media as a public apology for mistakes in the Iraq war, George Bush and Tony Blair acknowledged missteps in the battle for a democratic middle eastern state. 

"Despite setbacks and missteps, I strongly believe we did and are doing the right thing," Bush said Thursday evening in a White House news conference with Blair. "Not everything has turned out the way we hoped."

For his part, Blair said he left a meeting this week with Iraq's new prime minister "thinking the challenge is still immense, but I also came away thinking more certain than ever that we should rise to it."

The men also recognized the toll of the war on their respective nations.

Both leaders were asked about the toll the war has taken on their popularity.

"There is no question the Iraq war has created a sense of consternation here in America," Bush said, noting daily images on television of innocent people dying.

"It affects the mentality of Americans," he said. But he said a more important question now is, "Can we win? That's what they want to know."

Blair urged both those who agreed with toppling Saddam and those who didn't to "just take a step back" and look at the larger picture.

"They want us to stay until the job is done," he said of the new democratically elected Iraqi government.

Without question, however the words that should be ringing in our ears after today are the word's of Prime Minister Blair.  Siad Blair,

"Those people fighting us there know what is at stake. The question is, do we?"

With the war being used for political advantage at home and abroad, and shameless partisans pandering to anti-war constituents (even though they voted for the war) there can be no doubt that the burden of action in Iraq weighs heavily on the shoulders of both of these two men.  And yet, the truth remains that insurgents, foreign and domestic, in Iraq are so afraid of democracy that they are kidnapping and beheading strangers.  They are bombing mosques and killing innocents - women and children.  Why?  What could possibly make good and honest men fear freedom?  The answer:  Good men don't fear freedom.   But tyrants and oppressors do.