5/19/2004
War is Hell
I made the following comments in a private forum in March 2003. If you start here, you'll know my POV.
"That war is hell is why it is so tragic that a US President would so transparently seek it. Even as he sought the support of the UN and insisted that war was a last resort, Bush intended all along to invade Iraq and depose Saddam. Even as he tried to tear the UN mantle from the hands of the Security Council, he yielded the moral high ground by his bellicosity. Bush can't claim to be putting down the bully of the Middle East because the world is now inured to being bullied by Bush. This was the failed diplomacy that was the prelude to war.
Now, we are on the slippery slope that is inevitable in war. We find ourselves in the same situation as the Israelis, fighting a poorly armed enemy that will be crushed in a fair fight. So, why should they fight fair? And if we fight fair when they don't, many more Americans will be killed. Thus, we rationalize breaking the rules that we insist on, even the ones we claim to defend. Some people will have no qualms about firing rockets into residential buildings if we suspect a sniper is inside and it might save American lives. Even my bleeding heart is conflicted where American lives are at stake. And that is why it is so tragic that our president led our country into this hell.
While I believe that this war is more tragic than most because it was avoidable, I am not ambivalent about working in the headquarters of the US military. Our troops still deserve the best we can give them. (No, I'm not referring to a tax cut.)"
"That war is hell is why it is so tragic that a US President would so transparently seek it. Even as he sought the support of the UN and insisted that war was a last resort, Bush intended all along to invade Iraq and depose Saddam. Even as he tried to tear the UN mantle from the hands of the Security Council, he yielded the moral high ground by his bellicosity. Bush can't claim to be putting down the bully of the Middle East because the world is now inured to being bullied by Bush. This was the failed diplomacy that was the prelude to war.
Now, we are on the slippery slope that is inevitable in war. We find ourselves in the same situation as the Israelis, fighting a poorly armed enemy that will be crushed in a fair fight. So, why should they fight fair? And if we fight fair when they don't, many more Americans will be killed. Thus, we rationalize breaking the rules that we insist on, even the ones we claim to defend. Some people will have no qualms about firing rockets into residential buildings if we suspect a sniper is inside and it might save American lives. Even my bleeding heart is conflicted where American lives are at stake. And that is why it is so tragic that our president led our country into this hell.
While I believe that this war is more tragic than most because it was avoidable, I am not ambivalent about working in the headquarters of the US military. Our troops still deserve the best we can give them. (No, I'm not referring to a tax cut.)"
