Bombs, Then Building

摘要

It was one of those what-are-we-fighting-for moments. As U.S. Marines occupied their first Iraqi city, the port of Umm Qasr, they did what America's fighting men have done since landing at the shores of Tripoli in 1804: they hoisted the Stars and Stripes. But a few hours later, the American flag disappeared. As Gen. Tommy Franks noted somewhat apologetically on Saturday, one Marine had displayed the excessive "zeal" of a "young man." Franks added: "He quickly brought down his colors." And those are the orders all the way down the line. Iraqis "might see us as a conquering force," explained Pfc. Phillip Davis of the Army's Third Infantry Division. "We don't want them to think they're about to become the 51st state." George W. Bush has insisted that this war is about liberation, not occupation, and even buck privates on the battlefield are expected to toe the line. But it's no surprise the Marine at Umm Qasr was confused. The mixed message coming from the front lines reflects a still-heated internal conflict back home about what to do with postwar Iraq, how central and long-lasting America's role will be and how the United Nations will fit in. The debate could determine whether President Bush manages to assuage the deep anger dividing him from much of the world―or aggravates it.