On the other hand, the opposite group of zombies will only tell us that even though some mistakes are being made, the progress is undeniable: “the democratic process is established in Iraq!”

I won’t waste my time on those who are filled with hatred – let the Universe deal with them.
However, what is too evident and troubling, is that even in the criticism coming from the supporters of the efforts in Iraq, we find very little consciousness. “Yes,” they’ll admit, “mistakes are made, but…” but no one is held accountable! And if no one is ‘marched’ through the masses of newspaper pages in shame, mistakes that cost innumerable lives and add up years for Iraqi people to recover from, will continue.

The reality is too perplexing for many to accept: we are not the society of individuals that we see each day in the mirror. We only pretend to be conscious and compassionate beings so we would not be ashamed of who we really are. And if we are not the ‘real thing’, then the results of our efforts will not end in decency.

I always form my opinions based on “How would I feel if I was on the receiving end”:
When we liberated Iraq, there were days of looting and anarchy while our soldiers were told to do nothing.
When Iraqi soldiers reported “for duty” after the war, they were told that we don’t need you – go home and starve; instead of putting them on every corner to direct traffic, or along the oil pipeline, or to build schools and roads.
Instead of getting all Iraqi people involved in the rebuilding of their own society, paying them money so they could support their families and experience the genuine change, we told them to wait – the change is coming.
When Muqtada al-Sadr was terrorizing Iraqis and killing our soldiers, we left him unscathed – proving to everyone that you can get away with murder when dealing with the U.S.; he might even become a major player in this ‘democratic process’.
When we started hiring the Iraqi police officers, the pay we offered was “$60 a month!!!”, showing our true self, and how little we care about Iraqis.

Instead of providing tangible differences in the lives of ordinary Iraqi people, i.e. food, jobs, security, education, health, roads, etc., and thus establishing the norms for the Democracy as well as showing to everyone our values, we gave them Elections and anarchy.
And as a result, during the first election, the party supported by America received only 10% of votes – that is precisely how Iraqi feel about us. Does it sound like a victory?

And after all of this, some people ask how do you measure the progress… What progress? Before the invasion, Iraq was ruled by evil; today, after 2 years, it's filled with anarchy, pain and fear. Iraqis will need decades to remove the terrorists and the bureaucrats from the power that American 'democracy' awarded them.