Then Bush Said, "Let Us Make Iraq in Our Own Image..."

On April 24 President Bush updated the workers at the army tank plant in Lima, Ohio, on our progress in Iraq. "Work is not done," he admitted, "there's still dangers and challenges to remain. But one thing is certain: Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. And thanks to the courage and might of our military, America is more secure today. And thanks to the courage and might of our military, the Iraqi people are free."

And who can argue with that? Since the fall of Saddam Hussein the Iraqi people have been free to loot and pillage everything in sight; not just government buildings, but museums, homes and hospitals. More importantly, they have been free to gather in the streets and protest the actions of the U.S. government, a clear indication that they are ready to join Western civilized society.

Sure, the Iraqis haven't quite mastered the fine art of protesting—with their hackneyed chants and misspelled signs—but they have shown us that they have heart. Who knows? In a few short months—possibly under the expert tutelage of various Hollywood celbrities—we will start to see some demonstrations worthy of the Six O'Clock News.

Making this Middle East nation in our own image is still a work in progress, but we all know that it is only a matter of time before that nation becomes a booming oasis of democracy and economic prosperity in a desert of despotism…..or—if history in that region is any indication—we have just witnessed the beginning of an endless cycle of regime change and nation-building.