Jason,

Your own example -- Cuba -- is reason not to trust current intentions.
The United States did not "free Cuba" -- it established a protectorate
over it, and it should be lumped with the other Spanish colonies
annexed by the United States. There are differences between
colonialism and neocolonialism, but the intention and the effects are
very similar. Twain's views on the subject are clearly stated in "As
Regards Patriotism," "The Stupendous Procession," and other essays
written in 1901.  Cuba was different only in that the United States
allowed more self-rule there, while not allowing Cuba to form
international alliances, and reserving the right to intervene whenever
Cuba could not pay international debts (including those to U.S.
corporations) and in times of political instability.  The United States
invaded Cuba numerous times after 1898, and the Platt Amendment
that the United States imposed on Cuba as a condition of its
"independence" remained in force until the mid-1930s.

Another reason not to trust statements about "liberating" Iraq is that
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Richard B.
Myers, President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC) Peter S. Watson, and many other high-ranking
officers and personnel in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and
Department of Homeland Security participate in the annual "wallows"
of the Military Order of the Carabao, an exclusive and semi-secret
organization of U.S. military officers formed during the Philippine-
American War that continues to celebrate "the Empire Days" by
singing soldiers' songs from that war, including "The Soldiers' Song":

Damn, damn, damn the Insurrectos, [or Filipinos]
Cross-eyed kakiack ladrones!
Underneath the starry flag
Civilize 'em with a Krag,
And return us to our own beloved homes!

That song is routinely quoted in histories of the Philippine-American
War as evidence of the racism and brutality of U.S. troops.  That our
top military officers, and the top official in the U.S. diplomatic service,
see no problem in singing that song and others praising what they call
"the Empire Days" says a lot.  Colin Powell speaks of "liberation"
when he's behind a microphone at the U.N.  When he's behind closed
doors with his military pals, he celebrates the "Empire days" and the
military's brutal practices -- "Civilize 'em with a Krag" is no different,
after all, than use of "overwhelming force" (the Powell doctrine).

Most Americans are barely aware of those "Empire days" but it turns
out that while they have been purged from our history texts, they
continue to be praised by top-ranking current and former military
officers.  They would no doubt like us to believe that the United States
is not an imperialist country, but their own practices tell us otherwise.

For more on the Military Order of the Carabao, including a collection
of their early songs, see:

http://www.boondocksnet.com/centennial/carabao/index.html

When all current members of that organization, from Colin Powell and
Richard Myers down, are purged from the United States government,
I'll believe the country is making some progress away from an imperial
foreign policy.  Until then, I'll take their celebration of "the Empire
days" as a sincere expression of their beliefs, made as it is behind
closed doors where they feel safe to say what they really mean.

Jim Zwick