What's wrong with chaos?

One of President Bush's rationales for continuing the fight in Iraq is that if we leave the region will descend into chaos. Iraq will experience an out-and-out civil war, Iranian and Syrian influence will become more profound and radical elements will gain control of the governments and the oil. I say, so what?

For the record, I have been a supporter of the president and of the war. I do not buy into conspiracy theories or "Bush lied" rhetoric. I believe that Bush's vision of democracy in the Middle East is only slightly fantastical. Had Iraqi elections unleashed a bound and fearful population, the current situation would likely be much closer to the president's vision, much closer to peace. But the elections, though successful, were not a harbinger of democracy to come. Sadly, in time they may be perceived to signal the end of the experiment. But there appears little reason to believe that true democracy will ever take hold in Iraq.