“‘Iraqi mothers want the same thing for their children American mothers want for theirs,’ President Bush has said. ‘A place for their child to grow up and get a good education and be able to realize dreams.’ The president is correct. The two institutions Iraqis prize most are family and education. But the US military occupation and the insurgency have produced a total disruption of both. Can Iraqis return to social normalcy so long as US troops — and their enemies — are engaged there? One has to look no further than the Palestinian territories to discover the long-term effects of children not going to school. Israel’s occupation and perennial lockdown of Palestinians created a new uneducated generation seeking salvation through the radical Islam of Hamas.” [editor’s note: Hint … Although the “nation building” solution is unclear, and the non-interventionist one is untried … continuing to occupy, control and devastate the place is not the right path - SAT] (05/14/08)