She makes an emotional case that the US soldiers and the Iraq government are fighting evil, which is true enough. For more depth along this line, read the most popular dispatches from
Michael Yon's blog. Yon goes where the action is, and writes just for himself.
The journalist interviewed on CSPAN decides that fighting evil is a noble end in itself, making the question of a valid US national security interest in Iraq moot. I have to disagree with her:
I think you have to look at the cost, in dollars if nothing else. Would you pay
One Trillion Dollars for this war? (Disclaimer: actual price may be lower)
The calculus is more complex when you consider the evil being done by the US soldiers and our allies. Read
this story told by an American interrogator about how he participated in the torture of innocent Iraqis. That is an example of direct American culpability in evil. How much evil is being done by the Iraq government we are supporting?
Thanks for posting an interesting interview. I like how the host on CSPAN has the luxury of allowing a ten minute answer to a question.