With many Iraqis welcoming US troops, doesn t that mean the war was the right thing to do?
In spite of initial reports that some Iraqis were welcoming US troops, the cheering, smiling, flag-waving crowds that the Bush Administration predicted have not materialized. Of course Iraqis are glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein. However, it is becoming clear that this doesn t mean that the US government and military are welcomed as liberators. Instead, the US army is seen as an occupying force, and as the days without water, electricity, humanitarian aid, security, and legitimate government continue to go by, the occupying forces are increasingly becoming the target of protest and outrage. In Nasiriyah and Najaf, 20,000 Iraqis protested the US s first attempt at putting together a government. So far, US troops have been unwilling or unable to police the streets of Baghdad and other cities to prevent looting and provide security. Further, the US seems to have no candidates for a new Iraqi government that are overwhelmingly approved by the Iraqi people. All of this serves to highlight w
