You’ve drawn the sword, George, now use it
Thanks to John McCreery, the chairman of the Democrats Abroad Japan, for bringing Senator Byrd’s recent Senate speech to my attention.
I think Senator Byrd accurately sums up nearly everything that is wrong with the Bush administration’s posturing on Iraq.
I couldn’t agree more strongly with what Senator Byrd said if I wanted to, with the sole exception of his conclusion:
To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is “in the highest moral traditions of our country”. This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.
I agree that true leadership would not seize upon any opportunity to wage war, but instead would approach it only with great reluctance—and only as a last resort. Wisdom, likewise, does not lie in alienating France, Germany, Russia, and China simply because they do not think that war is justified. But this administration is impervious to wisdom. It shrugs off responsibility, substituting only rhetoric.
I, for one, am sick of Bush’s whining about how he “can’t understand” how other nations might oppose this war, his use of terrorism as a carte blanche to engage in full-spectrum domination of the political agenda at home and abroad, and his autistic hostility to any position that differs from his own. I’m thoroughly disgusted by the ebullient glee on Donald Rumsfeld’s face every time he has a chance to talk on camera about the upcoming war. (Incidentally, I’m also left seething with anger just about any time John Ashcroft opens his mouth. That man is a traitor to his country in ways Benedict Arnold could have never even dreamed!)
This is not an administration of the wisest, most capable leaders the United States has to offer—it’s a government that has been hijacked by lunatics who question the right of the rest of the world to disagree with their foolish, short-sighted policies.
Bush has had his chance to make his case, let him now lead his “coalition of the willing” to disarm Iraq. Go on, George, wage your little war. I can only hope that the American people will come to realize what history will surely record: George Bush is ruining America.
You’ve drawn the sword, George, now use it. You’ve failed to get the broad coalition of international support you had hoped for, but you’ve already made it clear that nothing short of a phone call from God will stop you.
[Aside: Kevin Cleary shared this delightful-yet-sobering game about the possible outcome of Mr. Bush’s war. If you enjoy that one, be sure to check out “Ashcroft Online” and this CNN article about the games’ creator. Good fun all around. Thanks, Kevin!]
