Some of life’s better moments occur when something goes wrong (notice I said “some.” Meaning “pretty few,” because stuff CAN really suck when things go wrong, from a flat tire on the freeway to the admittance of Florida as a bonafide United State).

Something had just gone wrong a few minutes ago when I found myself walking more than a mile home with my son (a bike repair thing; his was in the shop and since I did not want to ride my bike home, leaving him alone, we walked together).

Not long after leaving the repair shop, the conversation drifted to politics. I forget how exactly. Normally in front of my almost-13-year-old son I refrain from saying, “I can understand how we can elect the dumbest US president in history; hey, even Millard Fillmore made it to the White House. But twice? Are you kidding me?”

Either way, the following conversation occurred, and because of it the world was made a better place because another Democrat was born, though I now he will sell his political soul should he ever fall in love with a Republican (“You’re right, honey, if this country is ever going to have a right-wing evangelical president bent on making the world safe for the narrow-minded, gun-holding, unforgiving non-Hispanic majority, a vote for Huckabee isn’t just essential, it’s also the only morally correct thing to do”).

It went something like this (quotes mostly accurate, relying on this aging mind as I must):

“Dad, this is George Bush’s last year, right? I don’t really like him all that much.”

“Why is that?”

“Because so many soldiers are dying. Why can’t we just get everybody out of there?”

“Well, as much as I would like to see that happen, I’m not so sure that would be the best thing. Not leaving all at once. But slowly. Even though I’m not so sure that would do any good either.”

“Why not? I don’t understand. Either we leave or we just take over, right? We leave, I mean, who cares, right?”

“But look at what we’d leave behind. A country in a lot of turmoil. There are people there who don’t get along, and they haven’t gotten along for hundreds of years. Right now we’re doing out best to get them to talk, to form a government in which they all have a voice. If we can do that, great. But even if we do that, I’m not sure peace will last.”

“Because they’ve been so long?”

“Exactly. OK, you’ve studied the Civil War, right? The North and South really hated one another. Imagine in the middle of that another country invaded. France, let’s say. And they came in and took all of our weapons and started setting the rules. Then they made us put together a government with half North, half South. When everything looked OK, France said, ‘See ya.’ What do you think would have happened?”

“We would have started fighting again.”

“Pretty much. And the North and South didn’t get along for just a few decades or so.* The Shia and Sunni, who are both Muslim but don’t agree on all the particulars, have been kinda miffed at one another for centuries.”

“So why did we even get involved?”

“Ah, there’s the question that has split the nation. Most of this goes back to 9-11. You know that the attackers were from al-Qaeda, right? OK, we went into Afghanistan because we had proof that al-Qaeda had been training there, and that its leader, right, Osama Bin Laden, was living there. Fine, right?”

“I guess. I mean, if they sent people to kill us, we should go get them.”

“Later on, George W Bush tells us that they have developed intelligence that Iraq … well, the leader of Iraq, who was a pretty …”

“Bad guy. Saddam Hassan. We talked about him in school.”

“Right. Saddam Hussein. Definitely a bad guy. Killed thousands of his won people. According to George W Bush, Saddam was a threat to the US. Not only was he connected to al-Qaeda, but he was developing really powerful bombs. Nuclear stuff, bombs with chemicals that can wipe out everyone within a few miles. Weapons of mass destruction. So George W Bush decided we needed to invade Iraq.”

“But we captured Saddam. Why didn’t we just get out then?”

“We did get Hussein, but in the meantime, guess what happened? Turns out Saddam wasn’t connected to al-Qaeda. And he wasn’t making weapons of mass destruction. See, when Saddam was doing all this bad stuff, the rest of the world cut him off. Didn’t send him food or money. Iraq became a very poor country. Thousands were starving. You think this is the kind of country we should be afraid of? No. But George W Bush was.”

“So we sent soldiers because of what Bush thought? Man, that is so stupid.” (Ah, the Democrat emerges like a butterfly from the cocoon.)

“A lot of people still believe that invading Iraq is a good thing, that Iraq was a threat to us. Others believe it had something to do with oil.”

(Conversation ensues about oil supply and political ramifications, which goes largely over his head.)

“But dad, I don’t get why the Iraqis keep blowing themselves up and killing everyone. We’re trying to bring peace and they won’t let us. That doesn’t make sense.”

“You’re right, but let’s put it another way. We’re the most powerful nation in the world and no one would dare invade us. But let’s just say that one day America is not so powerful, and other countries think we’re dangerous. So one day all these soldier show up from different countries, and none of them speak our language but it’s pretty obvious they’re telling us what to do. And they make sure to tell us it’s for our own good. They’ll even help us set up a new government where everyone will have a say. What do you think we’d do?”

“We’d fight back … yeah, I don’t think we’d just sit there. I kind of get it.”

“I wish things would be more peaceful in Iraq, and I do think there are some really bad people over there, people who would kill civilians to make a point. And I would never defend them. But I also think it’s important we at least try to understand it from another point of view.”

“How long are we going to keep being over there?”

“I wish I knew. I just hope we pull out long before you turn 18.”

“But we could be there another 10 years. Or even 50 years. A hundred years. And when we leave, they could all go back to fighting anyway. So what’s the point?”

“I have no idea. But hopefully whoever’s elected president will.”

*Having not studied the Civil War for a few decades or so, my apology to the stick-up-their-butt historians who insist my figures are wrong.