State of the Union Address: Iraq

On 28 January, 2003, George W. Bush tried to rouse U.S. public opinion in favor of action against Iraq when he delivered his second State of the Union address as U.S. president. After I heard all his proposals for war in Iraq, one quote came to mind that reasonably epitomized his entire speech.
Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto...