The revolution will not be televised

In a President's Day speech, Bush compared our Revolutionary War to the current conflict across the world in Iraq. He said:

"Today, we're fighting a new war to defend our liberty and our people and our way of life... And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the world, we remember that the father of our country believed that the freedoms we secured in our revolution were not meant for Americans alone."

By now, Bush has compared Iraq to every other war America has fought in except the most relevant one, Vietnam. The invocation of our own war for independence when discussing our role in Iraq is particularly offensive. Democracy and freedom were not subjected upon our nation. We fought for them. Ultimately, this is the only way democracy can be won: not by the overwhelming military force of a third party, but by the individuals living in tyranny. The sacrifice and passion and desire must be theirs. Democracy can't come by the barrel of our gun. This is the lesson we must learn. And it is those who initially supported the war, myself included, who must certainly remember this history, lest we become doomed to repeat it.