You may not be interested in war but war is interested in you. When it comes to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Leon Trotsky’s line is apt. Much like the role Vietnam played in American politics long after US choppers had flown Saigon, the Iraq syndrome stalks foreign policy debate. The latest victim is Jeb Bush, who last week gave four different answers to whether he would have emulated his brother had he known then what he knows now. He arrived at the correct one — “no” — three responses too late. As a display of political constipation, it was awkward to watch. Nor is the question likely to go away. Unlike Vietnam, which did not pose a direct threat to the US, Iraq remains a live challenge.
你可能對戰爭不感興趣，但戰爭對你感興趣。就2003年美國領導的入侵伊拉克的戰爭而論，列昂?托洛茨基(Leon Trotsky)的這句話很恰當。伊拉克綜合征繼續折磨著美國外交政策辯論，這很像美國直升機飛離西貢后很長一段時間，越南在美國政治中所起的作用。最近一位受害者是杰布?布什(Jeb Bush)，不久前，有人問他：如果當時他知道現在已知的信息，他是否會效仿自己的哥哥時，他給出了四個不同的答案。他答錯了三次，第四次才遲遲給出正確答案——“不會”。這一幕展示了政治上的難言之隱，看到它令人尷尬。這一問題也不可能消失。越南不對美國構成直接威脅，而伊拉克不一樣，它仍然是一個現實挑戰。