Is It Over Yet?

So, four years after the non-Islamic part of the world violated a nation's sovereign rights by beggining the process of invading, seizing its ruler and at the very least assisting in the creation of the outcome of his execution, is the War On Terror over?

Every Western civilation is five times as scared as it was before of bombs detonating in its city streets. Is the War On Terror over?

3,000 US soldiers are dead, and a couple of hundred thousand Iraqis, who-knows-how-many have been injured. London has been bombed. Al Qaeda has threatened Australia. You can't walk two blocks in Adelaide without your face being filmed twenty five times.

Whether Saddam did or didn't deserve to die, we have made a debacle of fulfilling our objective of eliminating this one man. As a result our society has changed.

It bloody well better have been worth it. I don't think it was. I also don't think we're being selfish in examining every mistake in this cock-up.

If this is "end of story" then a few chapters in the middle still need writing. Years of front pages and editorials dedicated to the cause,. Inaccurate intelligence, misleading propaganda and massive profits by exponents of associated industries, not to mention "poll defying" (PM Howard's words at the recent Sydney Salute To Rupert Murdoch) ignorance of public opinion all suggest it's far from selfish to examine every aspect of how this operation was conducted.

How Saddam's death was achieved stinks from start to finish. If we believe we're being egocentric to talk about it and shut up then we place ourselves in a position of being forced to participate in similar future scenaria. This would be the worst atrocity of all.

In the meantime, the War On Terror is far from over.