Our true rights of life, liberty and property are inherent in human life, under Natural Law. They are not conferred by any state and they cannot be repealed by any state. They can only be crushed by coercive state power. In the long run, that is what all states tend to do.
"Civil rights" -- again, these are state privileges, not real rights -- are usually at odds with our real rights of life, liberty and property. For instance, you cannot have a "right to a job" without enslaving the person forced to give you that job.
The kind of Constitution and government that John Kerry advocates is precisely the recipe for tyranny.
That's one of the best distinctions between natural and civil rights I've ever read. What many folks don't realize is that we "voluntarily" relinquish some of our rights when we request a "license" from a particular gov't. entity. A license in effect turns a right into a gov't. granted privilege which then is regulated by the gov't. This explains how the state can come in and seize a child from a family which is due to the fact that "marriage license" created a three way contract between the man, woman and state thus giving the state part ownership of their "property" (the child). This whole relationship between natural, living souls and artificial entities (gov't. agencies, code enforcers, etc.) is very insidious.
And, this mentality spreads well beyond any domestic discussions.
I think that is why you will only find those on the left that will make arguments (not just excuses, though there's a healthy dose of that too) for not having taking action in Iraq.
The leftists don't understand what Natural Laws are, because most leftists don't believe in God, aren't proud to be God-fearing people, or morally equivocate God with worshiping trees, animals, or other things. Therefore, it is difficult to accept the existence of Natural Laws, because the moral precept is not there for them.
And, this reality (for them) is what foments the silly arguments that they put forth.
You can ask a lefty 2 questions that deconstructs their belief system.
QUESTION 1: "Do the Iraqi people have a natural right to not be tortured, to not be raped, to not watch your daughter, wife, or mother be gang raped, to not have your tongue cut out, to not watch your son have his eyes put out?
They will usually (hopefully?) respond, "Of course not."
QUESTION 2: "Do the Iraqi people have a natural right to freedom and liberty?"
Here's where the lefties define themselves for the despicable human beings that they are.
The leftists usually respond to question 2 with something along the lines of, "Well, their liberty may not necessarily be the same as my liberty"; or, "Who am I to tell them how they should live"; or, "You have to understand their culture, they don't know that kind of freedom and we shouldn't be telling them what their freedom should be" (or some similar derivation).
The leftists don't understand that freedom and liberty have absolutely nothing to do with where you live or how you have lived (or have been forced to live) in the past.
Freedom and liberty are inside every man's soul. The craven leftists even use "freedom" and "liberty" as the knee-jerk defenses to so many things (suspending a cross in urine or "painting" the Virgin Mary in excrement, just to name two), but it has to fit their definition.
I guess we can get to enjoying the freedom of excrement painting after we can help people realize so of the simple liberties...like not having to be gang-raped on the whims of a madman.
But, you know, I'm a conservative, so I guess my opinion is invalid.