War opposition as self-help

Even with all of the recent controversy, Naomi Klein contends in the Toronto Globe & Mail, the opponents of Bush's war, including the Democratic hopefuls, "continue to cast themselves as the primary victims" of the invasion, while the real victims, the Iraqis, "remain invisible."

As the 2004 election comes into better focus, Klein laments that the debate over the war is now centered on "uncovering Mr. Bush's lies, a process geared toward absolving those who believed them, not on compensating those who died because of them."

In other words, America needs to get over its preoccupation with the grievous harm done to its own society because of the Iraq fiasco. For justice to be served, the immense carnage created abroad needs to be recognized, not shuffled off to the side so that blame can be placed and domestic politics can return to normal.