Has it been that long?

FiveFour years ago I was on Spring Break and watching CNN at 0000 (midnight) or later. I was talking to my wife (then my girlfriend), although I don’t remember if it was over the phone or on AIM via my dad’s laptop. There was a breaking news bulletin and then I saw a night vission goggles image of Iraq being blown to bits. Shock and awe they called it. I was certainly shocked - although I had been vaguely following Colin Powell and the others making the case for WMD. I didn’t have cable Tv in my dorm, so I wasn’t really following the news at all that year. I was pretty impressed when, about a month later, the fighting portion of the war was over. Actually, as far as I was concerned, the war WAS over. Recently, we have learned, Rumsfeld had hoped the same thing. It was his idea to get rid of Saddam and then let the Iraqis do their own thing. However, some other demons - perhaps Cheney or Wolfowitz - whispered into Bush’s ears about making it into a wonderful Democracy and all kinds of BS that had nothing to do with the WMD/Al Qaeda lies they told us to get into the war.

Basically, I think that history (about 30 years from now) will either find out that this was one of the greatest nation-building blunders in our history or that, behind the scenes, Bush and team knew something they couldn’t tell us. (And, seemingly still do) Maybe there is some kind of connection or something like that which would show that we were justified. However, with yet another Bush administration having a case of amnesia (seriously - what is up with that? No one in that administration can remember anything!), I’m starting to wonder if he picked his advisors and workers from a drug study on the effects of some drug on the mind. (Recently I heard Paul Bremmer be the latest in a long line of people that “can’t recall that conversation.” However, they remember plenty of less incriminating ones….hmm……nah!)

--- edit 2000 19 March I saw some news story that said Five years and didn’t do the math myself…oops…it was four years ago.