Iraq war: Long fight, short sight

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war.

As protests were staged around the country, President Bush defended the war and the need to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

The Democratic candidates for president both discussed withdrawal of troops, though Hillary Clinton was more cautious about withdrawing without throwing away everything that has been accomplished in Iraq. Sen. John McCain made a case for continuing to see things through until democracy is firmly established.

The major feeling among supporters of the war was one of weariness, not so much of the war, but of the constant energy drain of listening to liberals who would have preferred to leave the Iraqi people under the heels of a tyrant.

Said Obama: “Where are we for all of this sacrifice? We are less safe and less able to shape events abroad. We are divided at home, and our alliances around the world have been strained.”

If anyone knows about dividing people, it’s Barack “black racism is justified” Obama. That issue aside, since 9/11 the divisiveness has come from the liberal side of the aisle. The line about us straining our alliances has been repeated so often in the media that people assume it’s a fact. But the strange thing is, all our allies are still allies, and the people who hate us now are the people who hated us before. With the exception of Spain, European countries have been voting in more conservative leaders in recent years. America still leads.

Incredibly, there are many people who think terrorism is not a threat, that groups like al-Qaida are just some bogeyman, nothing to be afraid of, as if 9/11 never happened. Yet U.S. authorities are known to have stopped dozens of terrorist plots on American soil in recent years, and there are suggestions of many cases that haven’t made the media.

And just in time for the anniversary of the war, Osama bin Laden poked his head out of his gopher hole long enough to threaten Europe with terrorist reprisals because a few Danish newspapers ran a cartoon bin Laden didn’t like.

They republished the 2-year-old cartoon because police uncovered a plot to murder the artist, and the newspapers were showing their solidarity and devotion to freedom.

Bin Laden made it clear that he regards our silly notions of freedom of expression as poor excuses for offending Islamo-fascists: “If there is no check on the freedom of your words, then let your hearts be open to the freedom of our actions.” The message was accompanied by an image of bin Laden aiming a rifle.

We may have forgotten why we’re fighting, but rest assured bin Laden and his ilk have not.

Land of the smoke-free

Anybody remember “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”?

Shia LaBeouf, star of “Transformers” and the upcoming “Indiana Jones” movie, might be wondering what happened to those once-guiding principles of our country.

On Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to an unlawful smoking charge.

Let me say that again: unlawful … smoking … charge.

He failed to appear at a hearing Tuesday but showed up a day after a judge issued a $1,000 arrest warrant for this menace to society.

There will be a hearing on April 24. If convicted, LaBeouf could face up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

For smoking.

Now, I personally hate cigarettes. But $1,000 and six months?

Apparently, tobacco’s not the only thing going up in smoke these days.