I never understood this sentiment and given the subject of his well meaning and important speech for our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan I wonder why he would only wish blessings upon our own nation. Are the nations we are fighting in not worth blessing? It is this exceptionalism that so many see in America that leads them to vote for wars in far away lands populated by less divinely chosen people. Our regret in waging war is not the God-forsaken cities destroyed, families broken and millions of lives shattered or ended. Our regret is purely for our own losses - unnecessary and sad as they are. 5,000 US soldiers killed, tens of thousands injured in Iraq & Afghanistan. Staggering? Yes. But meager in comparison to the hell with which we have delivered upon Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed, untold injured, 4 million displaced, 2 million of those as refugees in Syria or Turkey, infrastructure destroyed, society in tatters from 25 years of US sponsored war, US led war, US sanctions and more US war in Iraq.

Maybe it is not your God we as Americans should be asking for forgiveness, but our soldiers who have been made to fight these wars without purpose and maybe it is the people of Iraq who we should be asking for forgiveness. May Bush Sr., Clinton and Bush Jr. all be tormented with the lives they have destroyed.