A witness to history...

In my brief 21 years on this earth, I have not witnessed too many things that have been truly awe-inspiring. I was alive when Challenger exploded, but I only remember watching video.. I never saw the real thing. I've seen video of the Berlin Wall falling, which was a pretty cool thing too, but I don't remember watching it live. This morning, I witnessed history, and I've never been more proud to be alive, and more proud to be an American.

For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, I woke up this morning to Iraqis bringing down the statue of Saddam, and dragging his head through the streets of Baghdad. I saw a repressed people celebrate in jubilation at the very idea that they were free. Bob Arnot from MSNBC said it was like being in Paris in 1944 (he looks old enough to be able to have been there, but that's another story).

The media spent so much time assuming that "shock and awe" had everything to do with the air campaign, I'm sure the Bush administration was sitting and quietly laughing. I'm pretty sure that Paul Wolfowitz's vision was exactly what has played out. "Shock" is really the global reaction to the brief duration of the serious fighting, and the "awe" part played out today, when the symbol of Saddam's regime fell in his own city.

For anyone that still says we are in Iraq for the oil, you now officially carry my disgust. Americans have now given to Iraqis (and for those that recognize the long-term benefits, the rest of the Arab world) the freedom that we fought 5 years for from the British. From this point on, anyone that says otherwise is probably still on the payroll of repressive Arab regimes. It's time for the rest of the Arab world to get in line, stop the "jihad" bull, and follow the example of democracy that is now being delivered to large parts of the Middle East.

And the rest of the Middle East can now take notice. You wanna know why the Arab media has been so hateful towards us? Hmm, could it be because they are owned by similar oppressive regimes that are now afraid for their own security as leaders? I see two things happening from here on out: either Arab media will take the same line as the Iraqi Disinformation Minister, or they'll backpedal almost as fast as the Democrats will in the coming days. It will be interesting to watch.

There is still a long fight ahead. Somehow, I can't help but wonder if the road to Peace between Israel and Palestine goes through Syria from here. I also think that the dirty laundry of the countries that have assisted Saddam in his oppression will soon come to light. Maybe this is why France and Russia were so against the war.... food for thought. But I for one am excited for the future. Congratulations to our Armed Forces. The battle was well fought, and you've done your jobs with honor. God Bless Iraq, God Bless the USA, and God Bless Freedom.