the war is illegal. Therefore, regardless the “provocation,” every person in Iraq who has been killed by a U.S. soldier, or died as a result of the occupation/invasion, has been murdered -- with the blood squarely traceable to America’s hands.

So now, we just spill guts.

Nonetheless, I’m sure if you look really, really hard, you may find some folks who consider those troops, and tons more like ‘em, to be real Americans, cut from the same cloth as the super-patriot archetype so frequently portrayed and firmly established decades ago by John Wayne. I wonder, though, how many of them would know Wayne never served in the military, receiving not one but two deferments during World War II.

In other words, his persona was an illusion. And so, apparently, is the one we Americans have collectively assigned ourselves since childhood, that of liberty’s uncompromising defender who, upon sensing the slightest hint of mortal danger to the Constitution, would, along with a nation full of eq

And when killing is illegal, what is a "win?" McCain has yet to grasp the most basis reality of the war.

Why would he, now? Nobody in the campaigns or the media wants to acknowledge it but he was a war criminal, not a hero.

Absolutely, we had about as much justification to be there as we do being in Iraq. Remember the stupid justification for the, "police action" the infamous Domino theory. Another fear fantasy. Stop the commies there so we wouldn't have to fight them here. Sound vaugely familar?
Sounds ridiculous now. Made sense to the Hawks back then.
Whenever the Government trots out some fear mongering be afraid, afraid of the fear mongers because they are the real enemy of the people, and not just the people of the USA but the entire planet.
The real Hero were the people brave enough not to tow the line, that refused to kill in the name of patriotism.

Thanks for the comments...and I'll take the rare compliment, since I was a refusenik. You prob'ly already heard me tell the story so I'll skip it. Men of conscience are rare these days as always, it seems.