Sun-Times: What if Bush has been right about Iraq all along?

In this era of unadulterated partisan politics, one of the rarest commodities is intellectual honesty.



When Limbaugh, for example, harshly criticizes the spending and immigration policies of the Bush administration, he deserved credit because he is doing the right thing. When those on the left point out the ridiculous tax-breaks and boondoggles that result in only tiny improvements in fuel economy by Detroit, they are doing the right thing.



On the other side of the aisle, Mark Brown, the liberal, anti-war columnist of the Chicago Sun-Times, is giving voice to what many on the left must be feeling. Kudos to Mr. Brown and others on the left who are recognizing what the much-maligned team of Bush, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz realized long ago:



Suppressing terrorism requires a policy that removes authoritarian governments, empowers people, and spreads liberty. Anything else is simply short-term thinking packaged at best, precariously, and at worst, fatally, as a "solution".



It's as big an idea, if not bigger, than Reagan's arms buildup that bankrupted the Soviet Union without firing a shot. History will record whether the risk was worth the lives and expenditure. But those who say that we are not safer than we were on September 12, 2001 are fooling themselves. And they can't be called intellectually honest.

Maybe you're like me and have opposed the Iraq war since before the shooting started... ...By now, you might have even voted against George Bush -- a second time -- to register your disapproval. But after watching Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong? ...Maybe the United States really can establish a peaceable democratic government in Iraq, and if so, that would be worth something. Would it be worth all the money we've spent? Certainly. Would it be worth all the lives that have been lost? That's the more difficult question, and while I reserve judgment on that score until such a day arrives, it seems probable that history would answer yes to that as well...

Sun-Times: What if Bush has been right about Iraq all along?