Even a Ten Year Old

[Dinner conversation from about a week ago.]

Jackson (my 10 year old): Why is there so much fighting in Iraq?
Me: Do you mean why is the US there or why is there fighting at all?
Jackson: Both, I guess.
Wife: [Rolls her eyes.]
Me: It's like this - imagine hundreds of years ago someone from Minnesota killed someone from Iowa. People in Iowa got mad and killed a Minnesotan. So the Minnesotans got mad and killed more Iowans. Then the Iowans killed some more Minnesotans. Do you follow?
Jackson: [nods]
Me: After a while all they remembered were that Minnesotans killed Iowans and Iowans killed Minnesotans. Then one day a very powerful and bad man killed a whole bunch of Iowans and Minnesotans - more Iowans than Minnesotans, but he killed both sides just the same. Then everyone was afraid of the man.
Jackson: [nods again]
Me: They were so afraid they stopped killing each other.
Jackson: Then what?
Me: Then someone else came in and got rid of the powerful and bad man. Do you know what happened then?
Jackson: The Minnesotans started killing Iowans again?
Me: Yep.
Wife: Why is it that our 10 year old can comprehend something our president couldn't?