Out Damned Spot

[SoDesuKa]

We're like Lady Macbeth. We know there's no justification for what we've done to the Iraqi people, and we also know there's no way to get rid of the stain. "Out damned spot," she says, referring to the blood on her hands that will not wash away.

Americans can continue in denial of our guilt, or we can face up to it. Eventually we saw we were wrong in Vietnam, and we're not that far from admitting we're wrong in Iraq. Redemption is possible when Bush is defeated.

[Danger Duck]

1. Yeah right.

No one feels guilty. Not the soldiers, nor the government. Not about Iraq, or vietnam. the only thing we regret about vietnam was not gaining a decisive victory. I hesitate to say "lost", because we killed nearly ten times as many vietamese, as compared to american casualties.
Guilt is a conept that has no place in world politics, and is one left for idealists. No one in this country is going to give a damn about the dead in five years, just like no one gives two shits about the dead in vietnam. Aside from the selct few, the people on this board and others.

Call me cynical, but there will never be a public ackowledgement of guilt by any leader of this country for Iraq.

[ochazuke]

2. We were wrong in Vietnam?

I don't think that the Veteran Liars for Bush think so. That's why they hate Kerry. He had the courage and clarity of vision to speak the truth about Vietnam.

Millions of Americans are still in denial.

[liberalmuse]

3. I disagree.

The only people who feel bad about this war are those of us who were so adamantly against it. You tell the average American that 20,000 innocent civilians were needlessly killed by our bombs and they just kind of nod off. How did this happen? When did America lose her soul?

[ochazuke]

4. Never had one.

I think we all look to the time of our childhood as the age of innocence. It was just our own innocence, not that of the world around us.

Take an unblinking look at U.S. history: our country was violent from the start, split from Britain over a disagreement about taxation, had slavery, lynching, theft of land from natives, Mexicans. Only nation to use nuclear weapons. We have as many war criminals (LeMay, Bush, Kissinger) as Germany or Japan. Ours just didn't get prosecuted.

Americans, more than we like to admit, don't care if OTHER people die. In fact, you know that the foreign policy of about 10-30% of us is "nuke 'em".