Essential Issues: W's Iraq War

From a comment I posted on Diana Hsieh's NoodleFood:

1. Essential issues in the macro context of the Iraq war as a whole: The aim of this war was to replace a nasty but secular tyrant with whatever government the population of that country, without the benefit of an occupation long enough to change their culture, would vote into power, even when their predictable choice, in their unmodified cultural context, is an "Islamic Republic." That aim was contrary to the interests of every sane American, and of every sane human in a world threatened by the spread of those "Islamic Republics." The Islamists are enemies of Human life on Earth, and a war fought for the purpose of putting them into power, in Iraq or anywhere else, is a crime against America and against Humanity. The only people against whom that war is NOT a crime are those who are fighting against US soldiers out of loyalty to Islamist factions that happen to be out of power now (and think that the best way to get into power is by shooting at Americans,) or just want to get into Muslim heaven by killing infidels, or who shoot at Americans out of loyalty to the previous tyrant. And that includes everyone actually shooting at Americans there.

2. Essential issues in the context of the situation of individual Americans whose lives are at risk as a result of that war. There aren't any good guys shooting at Americans in Iraq, and a rational soldier will do whatever he needs to do to survive. This includes shooting in situations in which innocent people will also be killed. The moral responsibility for any civilian deaths in such a situation falls exclusively on whoever was trying to kill the soldiers who are shooting back. If the American soldiers were not there, those who are shooting at Americans now would NOT be living peaceful lives: they would be eagerly imposing tyranny or killing other innocent people, in Iraq or elsewhere.