I really like the first part of your comment -- I hadn't thought of our conflict in that way, but I think you make a good point.
If I may, I'd like to respectfully disagree just a little with your second paragraph. I was commenting on exactly this point earlier today in another thread, about whether people "naturally" gravitate toward liberty. I'd love to know if you have any reaction. If you'd be willing to take a look, my comment is #11 on this thread.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1127313/postsI don't see where VDH and I disagree. Of course, not ALL share the view that people want to be free (modern liberals are a good example :) and I think that people who have not had freedom before are indeed somewhat like children who need to "grow" into it. Our nation wasn't born with a Declaration of Independence---it is a history of the Magna Charta, the "Glorious Revolution," and Parliamentary rule that stood in opposition to monarchical rule.
I think the MOST of the Iraqis will come around; and many are already willing to "fight for freedom." But it is tough to just "create" a new Iraqi government and expect people to just "be loyal." That will take time, and the Iraqi government must earn that loyalty. In the meantime, I wager that 50% of the people are with us, but quietly so; 25% are with us demonstrably; and 25% are totally opposed to us and everything we stand for. Our job---and it's not a quick one---is to kill the 25% who hate us without alienating the 50% who quietly support us.