America cannot apologize because apologizing implies fault and guilt. The politicians and flag-wavers have only the myth of America to lean on now, the image that we are the Guardians of Democracy, the Great Liberators, even while it is painfully clear on a daily basis how incompetent and corrupt our leadership is.

Anyone with the slightest interest in history can see how this war is the latest chapter in a a continuous series of wars, insurections, coups, insurgencies, and covert actions lead or supported (directly and indirectly) by the USA in the name of "democracy" and "freedom." From the Founding Fathers' genocide of native Americans to right now, in our relatively short history, America has as much innocent blood on its hands as any other country in the world. To be blunt, it's what we do. To acknowledge and apolegize for our responsibility for the death and destruction we have allowed our government to inflict on Iraq would implicate repaying a debt I have no idea how we would begin to repay. To at least make the attempt would mark a fundamental shift in our nation's philosophy. I'm not holding my breath.

...but leave us not forget that when the Current Occupant started this madness, he was not, in fact, the president of the United States. He was, and is, a pretender. He represents a complete failure of our political system.

Just over 50% of the voters in this country did NOT want him to be president, and a plurality of adults in this country did not want this war. This war was waged by a savage minority.

It is that savage minority who should apologize..but never will, as the previous poster pointed out.

I feel the shame of what we've done. This war is just one more bloody stain on America's tattered integrity. At our best, we are truly a great society. At our worst, we are savage murderers who don't even have the courage to tell the truth about why we murder: for the vanity and power-lust of a pretender and his minions.

Mark well: this war will haunt America for a long, long time. It will haunt Iraqis for a century or more. No apology will clean the stain from America. No apology will help the Iraqis.

And the men and women responsible will never pay.

This is what we have wrought. Or, rather, this is what those who voted for Bush have wrought. No doubt they are pleased with themselves.

Would that Dante's Inferno existed, is all I can say. Proper rewards would thus be meted out in the next world.

Whether you agreed with the war or not, once it started America incurred a moral responsibility to the Iraqis.

Oh, if it were that simple. How do we fulfill our moral obligation to the Iraqis? Some want us out, some want us to stay, some don't care either way and just want stability. I'm afraid the latter group is pretty much fucked. So which Iraqis are the U.S. beholden to? The ones who want us to go or the ones who want us to stay? It appears any decision one way or the other will fall along sectarian lines. Will it really matter in the long run? U.S. interests dictate U.S. policy.

Get used to that feeling of shame. Perhaps we should ask England and France how they deal with the guilt.

Gary

I want to congratulate you on this article. Non partisan, non political and deeply human .

Along with the US and others my country Australia shares responsibility for the debacle in Iraq and the suffering of the Iraqi people. We should not only be sorry we should be working to end the suffering.

If the invading nations were to spend half what the invasion and occupation has cost, Iraq could be provided with a modern infrastructure, with schools, universities and a media etc. The Iraqi people once having experienced stable, safe politically free prosperity would give little support to terrorists, extremists and others who would disrupt the country. In fact once their Iranian neighbours began to see the result, who knows a second Iranian revolution may happen.

A couple of years ago, some people in Australia concerned to heal the rifts between indigenous Australians and the rest of us, organised a National Sorry Day as a way for non indigenous Australian to show their regret for past injustices. On that day Millions of Australians walked through the hearts of all major cities and many smaller towns. This was grass roots, non-party political, people power and it had a huge impact, both on our culture and our Government. Perhaps Gary, some similar world wide show of regret and condemnation could come about in the same wayn to a similar result. Naive probably.

I agree that all the invading nations are responsible to now stay in Iraq and rebuild and not leave until the Iraqi people have a functioning country and are safe, this will require a shift in will and funding. To invade was wrong to leave now would be inexcusable.

David Edler

It's simple really. Pay up. Let's go with the 'low' figure of 400 000 dead at $1 000 000.00 compensation; (that's a small amount) and it comes to only

$400 000 000 000.00.

Add to that, $50 000.00 per affected family member (400 000 x 5) =

$100 000 000 000.00.

25 000 000 x $10 000.00 healthcare for affected population =

$250 000 000 000.00.

And clean up your mess: it shouldn't take more than five years at

$1 000 000 000.00 per week. You can work that one out. And have your apology day too. That might come close to sorting some of the mess out.

Maybe.

We should feel deeply ashamed of what's happened in Iraq, but we don't. I was at a conference earlier this year talking with someone who is a nurse (a healer, a nurturer, educated with a graduate degree). Talking about the travesty of this war, her response was "I'm glad that this is all happening over there." At first I thought she was being sarcastic, then I realized she was serious. Because over there nobody's husband is dying, over there nobody's child is dying, over there we haven't bombed an ancient civilization into the stone age.

To celebrate Saddam's downfall even seems hypocritical to me. Remember, he was the good guy in the Iran-Iraq war, we helped him, we propped him up and we didn't give a rat's ass what he did to his people.

The americans who are shamed are not the one's who supported this invasion and the one's who should be ashamed are shameless.