Over lunch, I read the Wall Street Journal article by Karl Zinsmeister that Randy Barnett is highlighting on Volokh. As usual, it looks as though anti-Americanism is far from the hot summer fashion the press would have us believe. In addition to those Barnett lists, another myth was debunked:

Evidence of the comparative gentleness of this war can be seen in our poll. Less than 30% of our sample of Iraqis knew or heard of anyone killed in the spring fighting. Meanwhile, fully half knew some family member, neighbor or friend who had been killed by Iraqi security forces during the years Saddam held power.

No, life wasn't enjoyable under Saddam Hussein, nor worth the protection it received before late March.

The article does remind us that the terror of war, however just, impresses a fear of soldiery - liberation or not - in the minds of a population. Taken in conjunction with George H.W. Bush's acceptance of a limited military role in Saddam Hussein's expulsion from Kuwait - thereby abandoning the 1991 Shiite uprising - it should be no surprise that within the first six months, Iraqis are "wary" of us.

But just as Zinmeister suggests that "Khomeini II," "Osama II," and "Ba'ath Revival" be "scratched from the list of morbid fears," we should also banish "Quagmire," "Vietnam," "Failure," and "Winning Presidential Campaign Strategy Based on Feeding Doubt" from the realm of possibility.