Conservative?

As I've read and listened to stories today about what's happening in Iraq and the struggles of the left to prevent or stop it, it occurred to me that we are engaged in an experiment of breathtaking audacity. By all rights, this should be the dream of the avant garde social planners, but it goes way beyond that. We are handing the Iraqis the secret to catching up with the West, and trusting them to have the sense to grasp it despite centuries of religious regimentation and superstition. Those fighting this project here are called liberals, meaning:

1. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
2. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

rooted in a Latin term meaning free. The irony is delicious. The liberals out of jealous spite are trying to convince the country that this is dishonest, improperly though out, illegal without the approval of the U.N., failing, hubristic, etc.