Timothy Sexton, Associated Content Producer Interview, Sits Down with Greg Reeson

Although I am a liberal, I certainly don't limit my reading on AC to only those who agree with me. One of the most intelligent and intellectually exciting writers on Associated Content is Greg Reeson, a man with whom I rarely find any common ground. Even if you don't agree with Greg, you've got to admit he's a good writer and is a far better spokesperson for the conservative point of view than that skeletal blonde chick or the big fat guy.

You and I are at polar opposites regarding the war in Iraq. In fact, we've had some lively debates in the comments sections that have brought others into the discourse. I'm agin it. Why do you continue to support the actions in Iraq?

There are a couple of different ways to approach this, but I'll try to get right to the point. At the time of the invasion in 2003, I thought there were more legitimate targets than Iraq if we were serious about fighting a global war on terrorism. However, I'm not the commander in chief. Only the President of the United States is granted that title, and the Congress overwhelmingly approved the use of force. My duty at that point is to execute the orders given to me.

There is no question that the war has been poorly managed, and there is significant dispute about the reasons for invading in the first place. But we are past that now. No matter why we went in, we are there now. Iraq may not have been a central front in the war on terror in March 2003, but it most certainly is now. Both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have said as much in their own words. If we are going to prosecute a war on terror, Iraq now has to be included. That is not to say that Islamic radicals are the main purveyors of violence. I don't believe they are. But they certainly have flocked to Iraq to fight us.