1953 Julius Caesar live blog #6

When Cassius and his gang meet with Brutus at his place, they discuss their plot to kill Caesar. Cassius is a little bloodthirsty, and thinks they should murder Mark Antony while they're at it. Brutus explains that, no, once the head is cut off then hacking the limbs is gratuitous. Yes, Mark Antony loves Caesar, but once Caesar is gone then the threat is gone.

Brutus has really convinced himself that the nation would be preserved and protected by getting rid of Caesar. I'm trying to think of similar scenarios in political history...the first one I came up with was Nephi killing Laban, before allowing an entire civilization to dwindle in unbelief. Is there anything similar in American history? I can't really think of anything. I suppose any assassination could be an effort to protect the nation from the supposed danger the target presents. Except now that I think of it, John Wilkes Booth murdered Abraham Lincoln for the South, not for the nation. John Hinckley, Jr. shot Ronald Reagan to win some personal attention. And, for any conspiracy theory behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy, I don't think any of them were done in the name of the Union.

What about preemptive war? The Bush Doctrine was one of striking before being struck. George W. Bush perceived Iraq as a major threat, and attacked before Saddam Hussein and Iraq could attack. According to Bush, Hussein had something to do with the 9/11 attacks and was gathering weapons of mass destruction. Although I believe the U.S. has done much good in Iraq, including hunting down Hussein, the initial reasons for going were later proven to be a very loose foundation.

Is President Bush invading Iraq like Brutus and Cassius "preemptively" assassinating Caesar?