What were you doing on the night the US invaded Iraq ?

I remember what I was doing.

I was at a place called Charlie Brown's, in Denver. It was the night of a big March snowstorm. The weather report predicted about 2 feet of snow, I think we ultimately got about 2 and a half. Charlie Brown's was one of the few places open that had full kitchen service.

I was eating supper with Brian and Zach, the Zach who was to pass away in a motorcycle accident a few years later. We were seated in front of this big screen TV they had there. And then George Bush's speech came on. All that I can remember of that speech was George Bush saying "Now, Iraqi citizens, don't destroy your oil wells..." And Zach and Brian and I all sort of looked at each other in disbelief. Then we ordered doubles. It was Happy Hour then, buy one drink, get one free, and that seemed to be the only thing we could do at the time.

It's 5 years later now, 4000 US soliders dead, and that line of George Bush's speech -- "Don't destroy your oil wells" -- still stays with me. Why is the US there in the first place? And now, what can we do to get ourselves out of there? It's not like the government can cut everything off and then leave. We've created such a mess....