Friday, April 30, 2004

Hearts of Men: The abuse of the Iraqi prisoners by American and, now, British troops is a reminder that there are no true good guys. Each and every one of us has the capacity for evil as well as the capacity for good. We are all individually responsible for our own actions. But the environment that surrounds us influences our decisions.

America has remained a great country and has accomplished so many wonderful things because our freedom and democratic principles compel us to do good and act as a watchdog over evil and corruption. We are far from perfect, and we've made mistakes, but our contributions to this world mostly uplift people and provide help.

In places like Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, goodness is trampled by tyrants like Saddam Hussein and wannabe tyrants like Osama Bin Laden. Only by changing the culture can the good of the region smother the evil and terrorism that brews there.

Our soldiers did not act according to American ideals. Fortunately, the reaction from Bush, Kerry, and all others who have viewed the sickening display have been the same -- disgust. And I am confident that the perpetrators will be punished appropriately.

This will surely hurt our already low standing among the Arab world. But nobody said this mission was going to be easy. Overall, we're still doing the right thing, and we will succeed.