We were discussing the war in Iraq. The opponent, a seasoned Democrat, was appalled at our presence over there. Her comment was blunt, and forceful: "We don't have the RIGHT to force democracy on other people". I rolled my eyes, having encountered another inconsistency of the left. Allow me to illustrate with a few similar observations using the history of our own nation (note: a few of these positions I actually agree with, most I don't. We'll leave it at that):

• We don't have the RIGHT to force women's suffrage on the male population
• We don't have the RIGHT to force slaveholders to emancipate their slaves
• We don't have the RIGHT to force communities to integrate
• We don't have the RIGHT to force schools to teach evolution
• We don't have the RIGHT to force states to accept abortion
• We don't have the RIGHT to force business owners to pay minimum wage
• We don't have the RIGHT to force drivers to carry auto insurance
• We don't have the RIGHT to force people to accept homosexual behaviour
• We don't have the RIGHT to force public places into ADA compliance
• We don't have the RIGHT to ban smoking in any public place

Now, I don't agree completely with the war on Iraq, but I DO agree that Iraqi citizens should have the right to choose their own political direction. I believe that they should have a right to live without the fear of "goon squads" by whatever name busting down their door and taking them away in secret because they dared mouth opposition to their government. I believe Iraqi babies have the right to a future, a future too often denied them under the rules of tyrants such as Saddam Hussein.

The question should not be whether a good end can be made of this war. The question should be whether the ends justify the means. While I have not answered that question conclusively, I do believe that many in Iraq face a far more promising future than they faced under the Hussein regime.