Anti-Bush hysteria at this juncture of history is extremely dangerous.

Why?

Because people get sucked into downright ridiculous mindsets, and make assertions that in the long run will hurt everyone, like "Iraq is Bush's Vietnam". We need to know and understand the history of what is happening now, and of what happened then. Our ability to change what is happening now depends upon our ability to look critically at the situation, and think creatively to find solutions to the problems caused by the Bush administration AND the US Congress. The Bush administration never would have gotten away with the invasion of Iraq is the US Congress hadn't had the vote to give him authority to proceed with the pre-emptive invasion.

We also need to look at the British collusion in this. Here, the history of the region is crucial to our understanding of what is going on in the region over oil. We the people (and I include myself in this) also need to educate ourselves about the geopolitics of oil. We don't understand how the Russians, French, British, and Americans have controlled the world's oil, and fought a lot wars to keep control over it because our economies are completely dependent upon it.

The comparisons being made between Vietnam and Iraq are ridiculous. I did however, hear an accurate, correct comparison somewhere yesterday though. That is, the deteriorating situation in Iraq is starting to look like Lebanon on steroids.

It does no one any good to try and compare Iraq to Vietnam, because the circumstances and contexts (not to mention continents) of the two conflicts are so different. Also, hand wringing and running around hysterically claiming the sky is falling and it is Bush's fault, shows that we Americans are in complete denial of who is responsible for the mess we find ourselves in. Democrats are as guilty as Republicans, and a President Kerry's wealth represents the same economic interests a President Bush's wealth represents.

The reason making things right will now be so difficult for the US is because regardless of who wins in November, we will have a president that supported a unilateral, pre-emptive war against a nation that posed no threat to us.