Iraq war

The war in Iraq is an odd and touchy subject. Personally, I think it's sad that we have troops over there fighting and dying daily. It is a nasty battle field, and the line between good and evil may not be so clear. I, as many Americans, am unclear on many issues facing the war in Iraq. I am sadly uneducated on the matter.

That being said, there are many things I believe strongly about the war in Iraq that anti-war people should consider:

1. It seems to me that we have been engaged in conflict with "terrorists", and middle eastern terror cells since the early 90's. So, this war in Iraq has been coming for a long, long time.

2. Terrorist attacks struck U.S. soil before 9/11. The Oklahoma City bombing happened. During the Clinton administration, President Bill Clinton was soft on terrorism his whole 8 years. Read a fantastic article about it here. And, you can read another article about Clinton's failure with terrorism here. This second article is a bit more biased against Clinton. Yet, fairly accurate nonetheless.

So, you can criticize the Bush administration where you want as far as their reaction to terrorism. But here's the important thing to remember: At least they're an administration that has a reaction to terrorism. At least they're looking out for American people's best interests, rather than their own political glory. (Ok, that last sentence was a cheap shot. Sue me.)

With these opinions stated, I still feel somewhat "out of the loop" on the whole war in Iraq. I still feel like I'm not fully informed on what's going on, or how the war is going. I vaguely think we're winning. I vaguely understand that it may take a long time.

I also feel torn from a theological standpoint. Can God approve this war? Didn't Jesus say He who lives by the sword dies by the sword? Is God using this war, or is it an instrument of evil, and death? I don't know, and it bothers me.