Exactly 10 years ago this week, America went to war with Iraq…again. On the pretense of seizing weapons of mass destruction that never actually existed (and for which the administration has yet to apologize), more than 1,000,000 troops were sent into harm's way. Nearly 4,500 were killed and 2,000 wounded. That is a paltry number compared to the 130,000 Iraqi civilians killed. The Bush Administration told us the war would be quick and cheap (if not completely paid for by Iraqi oil). Instead, it took nine years and cost taxpayers more than 2,000,000,000,000 (yeah, two trillion has a lot of zeros) dollars. Sure, we ousted Saddam Hussein and his cronies, but for the hundreds of Al Qaeda we took out, we also inspired thousands of others to join up. Is Iraq at least now a stable, U.S. friendly Middle Eastern ally? No, it is a Shiite-led, deeply unstable, friend of a thermonuclear flirtatious Iran. As a veteran, I chafe at the assertion that this conflict was in any way undertaken for our freedom, or that the blood spilled there in an way nourished the tree of liberty. The events of a decade ago drove me from the Republican Party, and severely strained several deep and abiding friendships. Am I still pissed off? You bet your ass. Ask yourself, now that it's been 10 years, what exactly the war was for and if either we or Iraq are the better for it. Was it worth it?

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