I remember reading this funny Point/Counterpoint in the Onion right before the Iraq War. The funny part is not the paragraph below, which is the setup for the joke. However, it’s amazing how accurate this joke turned out to be.
This war will not put an end to anti-Americanism; it will fan the flames of hatred even higher. It will not end the threat of weapons of mass destruction; it will make possible their further proliferation. And it will not lay the groundwork for the flourishing of democracy throughout the Mideast; it will harden the resolve of Arab states to drive out all Western (i.e. U.S.) influence.
If you click through to see the Counterpoint response, you’ll see the joke. If only I’d paid more attention. I was a reluctant supporter of the war. Shame on me for believing Bush’s arguments, which basically amounted to that Counterpoint. Sigh…