The Wall St Journal Ed Page shares a different view of the US presence in Iraq.
Sayyid Hussein Khomeini is the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Earlier this year, the liberal 46-year-old cleric left Iran for the Shiite spiritual centers of Karbala and Najaf, where he has been exploiting Iraq's newfound freedom of speech and thought to advocate democratic change at home. Mr. Khomeini visited our offices last week as he wrapped up a U.S. tour that included stops on Capitol Hill. He painted a far different picture of Middle East developments than President Bush's critics in Congress and the media."We consider [the U.S. invasion] as the arrival of goodness, and I hope the American people understand this," Mr. Khomeini emphasized from the start. It is important for Americans to keep their eyes on the big picture, and "to make the [democratizing] mission possible" by not getting discouraged by the day-to-day difficulties.