Tom Palmer, who is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and is also on the short list of smartest people I know, weighed in on his blog a few days ago with some comments that nicely sum up my own view:

I was not in favor of starting the war and I am very worried about the new doctrine of preemptive war that is being laid down. But for the life of me I cannot see how a realist (in any relevant sense of that term) could favor a negotiated settlement, a ceasefire, or anything less than the killing or capture of the leadership of the Iraqi state. After they’ve been attacked twice by the United States and the United Kingdom, to leave them in power would be suicide. Nonetheless, despite my opposition to starting the war, I received this note from an old friend in response to my call for unconditional victory as the next best solution, given that the war is already underway: “I am surprised by your heartfelt support of America’s latest war.”

Maybe I’m just getting older, but I see the world as a complex place, one in which principles guide us in making choices, but in which the problems are not clearly outlined like the colors on a “paint-by-numbers” set. We’ve entered a time of great danger to the values of liberty and peace. It might be nice if we always knew the right answers, but that’s not really possible.