You know what truly amazes me? I am a damn Psych and music and theatre major. I know NOTHING. And I posted this early in 2003-
after Bush had made his initial announcement to the UN that we would do this with or without them in the fall of 2002.
I don't express my political opinions much on SI since I don't think they are particularly important to anyone but me, but I am trying to read as much as I can. Right now I am reading The Reckoning, a recent book about Iraq and Saddam's legacy. Personally, I can't make the leap of faith that it seems to me to be required to get from 9-11 to Saddam and a First Strike, a policy that goes against everything in my nature.
Proponents of the current policy talk about the firmness of Bush, his vision. Eisenhower said the the art of leadership is deciding what to do, and then getting men to WANT to do it. Bush may have decided on his course of action, but he is failing miserably WITH the second part of Ike's definition, and it isn't getting better. When he announced the decision before even engaging in diplomatic efforts, when we began to bully and threaten and buy off, we insulted the people we needed most on board. It is hard to get past that, to the decision itself. In the Friedman interview, he states that while the thing may be done, doing it alone is very difficult and very costly.
I can no longer watch the talk shows as they have turned into military type video games listing the players and the weapons and getting all excited over the coming battle-- as if we had replenishable lives and a button to Start Over.
I think about CW and Ammo and I start to cry because I lost friends in Vietnam who died OR came back different damaged people. And I am scared. |
