I OVER-ESTIMATED IRAQS WILL

this is not easy for me but here goes. i wrote back in late march some of my thoughts about the war and since then things have transpired that would prove fairly clearly that i was wrong about how the war would progress. i was wrong about how saddam would respond to our invasion and i was wrong about how the arab world would react to the u.s. aggression. at least so far.

i have said all along that i was confident that we would be successful militarily, i just thought it would be a bit more difficult. in fact, i think what i was most wrong about was the will of the iraqi people. i have always thought that no matter the reason or result, arabs would not accept american troops on their soil. now that our marines have landed and the masses havent picked up arms against them, it seems that we will be able to set democracy in motion in the heart of the arab world. obviously this would be a very good thing as that would dispel the idea that the arabs would reject the americans even as they were being liberated from tyranny. yet if history is our guide, this warm welcome may not last.

i am not perfectly sure the situation will remain so welcoming for our troops, but so far so good. and thats a good thing even i believe would eliminate one boogy-man from the whole mix of uncertainties that still remain in what we are doing in the middle east. theres still many battles to be fought in the war for the hearts and minds of the arab world but so far i have over estimated their hatred of americans.

have a grateful day!

larry