Karl Marx was right. He is quoted with these lines: “Hegel remarks somewhere that all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were twice. He has forgotten to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

In this context, George Bush is the re-embodiment of Richard Nixon, and his Iraq debacle is the re-embodiment of Vietnam. At least Nixon could blame Vietnam on his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, and we’ve seen the bizarre attempt to blame Iraq on Bill Clinton.

Farce has two definitions that apply here. In literature, according to Webster, it is “to make more acceptable by padding or spicing.” But this other definition from Webster is more apropos: “ridiculous or empty show.”

It saddens me to state the event which has caused such pain, loss, and grief to so many – the current Iraq war – is farce. But truth is truth, no matter how much it hurts.

Let’s end the farce, stop the bleeding of Americans and Iraqis, and redeploy the troops, who deserve our love and support, to more appropriate places.

Like the United States.

Edward Ferreira, New Sharon