The government of West Germany was illegal, under the laws of The Third Reich. A government imposed by foreign nationals would be illegal by the laws of the United States. The government currently being imposed upon Iraq is illegal under the laws that existed in Iraq prior to the invasion.
And yes, I am giving my opinions only. I was also expecting a few more opinions from others about how they would view such a state of affairs themselves. It comes down to the question of how I would vote, and that is always an opinion.
And it is an important one.
You think that my deliberate decision to choose loyalty to the Constitution over the pragmatic consideration that the imposed collaborationist government didn’t do any great evil as narrow minded. It doesn’t seem narrow minded to me. It is a choice. I do not consent to be governed by foreign nations. My reason is a sworn loyalty to the concept of the legal construct that is embodied by the Constitution. I have that loyalty because I see it as the thing that has kept my country free, while so many others have fallen into despotism.
Some whom I have loved have died to keep it free, and to protect that agreement among the governed. I will not let it go for the sake of comfort, or peace, or any other thing.
However, there is the other matter, which this thread attempts to reveal. Your characterization notwithstanding, I am not among the most fervently patriotic of Americans. I am not an extremist fanatic of nationalism. I am a pretty ordinary sort of guy, and fairly peaceful. I carry flags around with me, as it turns out. But I carry around the flags of two hundred nations. And I give them to folks who are from other places. I am not the jingoistic fanatic you would like to believe I am.
And I would resist any imposed government, no matter how benign, simply because it was imposed. Do you think Iraqis will be so very much more compliant to your view that they should welcome our direction on the manner of their freedom? It is a pipe dream.
Tris