A free Iraq could hasten the end of corrupt despotism in Iran and Saudi Arabia and give hope to Palestinians.
It is a Big Idea - similar to Ronald Reagan's 1980s vision for eastern Europe - rather than hawkish lunacy, and it merits our attention.
Resentment of American power and appeasement of a despot with a track record of internal repression and external aggression are no basis for a foreign policy.
But resentment is all France has these days.
Well, that and antifreeze-flavored champagne.
I am not confident that the social, cultural or political underpinnings exist in Muslim culture which would neccessarily serve as a foundation for such an enterprise. Nor can they be imported and emplaced in the space of a few years, even a few generations would be a stretch. It is a Big Idea, and a hopeful one, but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.