ZK, it is absolutely a valid comparison, when people ignorant of military history assert the incompetence of the Iraq war with no evidence or support. People howl about military deaths in Iraq in complete ignorance of how dangerous the military is in the best of times.

I don’t understand your objection to helping people resist tyranny if doing so advances other American interests. Spreading democracy isn’t the only reason we’re in Iraq, but it’s a reason. Life is complicated. Things have multiple causes.