The Nobility of War

President Bush defended the Iraq War yesterday on it's fifth anniversary, which frankly he needed to do. Overall his statement did not phase me. With one exception, "The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary, and it is just. And with your courage the battle in Iraq will end in victory," he told an audience of Pentagon brass, soldiers and diplomats.

The use of the word noble bothers me greatly in this context. Why? Because the president is subtly hijacking the nobility of our brave men and women, which no one would deny, and connecting it to his larger, failed scheme. The Iraq War is a mistake. Simply because our brave men and women are performing their duty with nobility, grace and honor under enormous difficulty, does not mean we get to call the entire folly "noble."

Mr. President words either have meaning or they don't.