Without defending the war in Iraq (afterall what good has it done?) this really is a false equivalence and we probably don't realise how good we have it, and ho

Without defending the war in Iraq (afterall what good has it done?) this really is a false equivalence and we probably don't realise how good we have it, and how much worse it could be - namely if some one like UBL was the ruler of the worlds largest superpower how many people would be killed and oppressed. You may pine for an ideal of no unjust/unfair deaths in the world, but the reality is the number caused is in some way proportional to the power wielded. The assessment of the morality of the US should take this into consideration. That is to say there is an implicit negative opportunity cost (? opportunity benefit) to existing power. This is perhaps the opposite to the way most overly moralising critics view things (if only I had the power to change the world). Afterall perhaps the biggest lesson of Iraq must be that just getting rid of power based on simplistic moralising is not a good idea. Careful what you wish for.