I told you so

So I was right about the Iraq war.\nI usually love being right. Maybe it's because I'm a man or because I'm insecure, but I get more pleasure out of saying "I told you so" than anything else, most of the time.\nAs a senior columnist for Indiana State University's newspaper in the months leading up to the war, I watched closely as events unfolded like a slow-motion train wreck.\nIn mid-2002, I thought all the hype was intended to win support for President Bush and GOP congressional candidates. The talk about weapons of mass destruction was nonsense; after a decade of embargoes and no-fly zones, Saddam couldn't possibly construct a weapons arsenal.\nBut I predicted that if Congress passed the resolution giving Bush the green light for Iraq, dissent from Democrats would be silenced as unpatriotic.\nI predicted if we went into Iraq, everything else would take a back seat. When Republicans swept the November election, I predicted war would soon follow.\nWhen protesters gathered in January 2003 for a massive anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C., the demonstration devolved into a catch-all for Leftists pushing choice, impeachment, reparations and an all-out overthrow of the Constitution. Seeing the opposition in such disarray, I predicted war was inevitable.\nThen March 20, 2003, we invaded Iraq. "Shock and awe" was the mindless phrase on every pair of parroting lips. I predicted Bush's doctrine of pre-emption would be disastrous, that "with every bomb we dropped, (we'd create) terrorists like throwing gremlins in a pool."\nAs early as March 31, 2003 I said America would "have a lot of explaining to do if it (didn't) start finding these weapons of mass destruction." I was pilloried by angry readers who assured me weapons would be found. And although I never said as much in print, I knew in my heart that the human cost of this war would be staggering.\nThe day we return from spring break, the Iraq war will turn three years old. Democrats are still trying to find their voices. More and more programs are being cut as the war gluts itself on the federal budget.\nTerrorist attacks have increased worldwide. Figuring it has nothing to lose in light of the pre-emption doctrine, Iran stands in open defiance of the Western world regarding its nuclear program. And we still haven't found Saddam's \nweapons.\nThe Iraqi civilian death toll estimates range from 15,000 to more than 100,000. American military deaths loom just shy of 2,300, and nearly 17,000 have been wounded. And after all the billions of dollars -- after three years of blood, sweat and tears -- Iraq stands on the brink of civil war.\nIt breaks my heart to say it, but I told you so. This time, being right is a hollow victory. This time, I wish like hell I'd been wrong.\nDedicated to the fine young men and women who've given their time, limbs and lives for this country.