An unusual, and thus intriguing, feature of the Iraq war is how both proponents and opponents feel passionately vindicated by what happened. The switch in justification -- from finding and destroying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction before the war to the humanitarian liberation of Iraqis from a murderous tyrant afterward -- is typical of both sides sticking firmly to their positions. It is also emblematic of a Washington policy that was full of major contradictions, so much so that almost every goal, laudable in itself, was fatally undermined by the means chosen.

Much as many people admire American values and wished to support them in the export of life, liberty and happiness to everyone else in the world, they remained hesitant and halfhearted about ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein because of doubts over the methods being employed.

The world remains skeptical about using war to preserve peace, and about the world's most powerful nuclear-armed country, which itself has seriously downgraded a number of key arms-control regimes seeking to check the role of nuclear weapons and has used military force to prevent the pursuit of nuclear weapons by another country.