Civil War

The votes in Iraq aren't even officially counted, yet since the likely losers in the December 15th elections are making threats, some are already writing off the whole democracy thing in Iraq. The anti-war side says Iraqis don't think of themselves as Iraqis but as Sunnis, Shias, or Kurds. The Iraqis will never get together and therefore a bloody civil war is inevitable.

Can we look back to our own Civil War for a little perspective?

After our bloodiest war on a per capita basis and darned near the most expensive period, we occupied the South for ten years during Reconstruction with military government.

As a result of this civil war, Southerners voted Democratic for pretty close to 100 years rather than vote for Republican Yankees.

African Americans voted Republican for close to 70 years out of gratitude for the Republican Party's role in freeing the slaves at a terrible cost in lives and treasure.

And in 1898, more than 30 years after the Civil War, lingering divisions led the Confederate General Joe Wheeler to volunteer for the Spanish-American War to show that Southerners were loyal Americans.

His service was accepted and he led American troops into battle on Cuba where he famously got caught up in the moment of victory and forgot where he was:

Maj. Gen. "Fighting Joe" Wheeler led a division of V Corps. During the Civil War he commanded the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. During the charge up San Juan Hill, Wheeler forgot where he was and, as the Spanish ran from their positions, he yelled, "Come on! We've got the damn Yankees on the run!"

After our bloodletting, it took quite some time to heal the wounds of the Civil War, with thought patterns not instantly changed to a single cooperative vision of being an American. Voting patterns and thought patterns imprinted by the Civil War did not vanish in a moment.

And remember the over-heated Blue state partisans' talk of secession, rebellion, and exile to Canada or Europe that broke out after the November election here? Results that many fruitcakes still insist were "stolen"?

So have patience with Iraqi democracy. Give them a chance to vent and then see what they do. They endured much bloodshed under Saddam and the terrorists in Iraq are adding to the anger. And then give the Iraqis time to build a democracy. As long as they are advancing, don't demand instant perfection. After all, don't opponents of the war like to say democracy must come from Iraqis themselves and not be imposed?

Let's not dwell too much on whether they get along like a Vermont village council but whether they accept losing and giving up power as the result of elections.

And for goodness sake, don't show so much glee at faltering Iraqi steps toward freedom. How long did it take Chicago to get honest elections? (Or am I being optimistic?)