This morning as I was leaving for work I saw this story on Good Morning America, and it's been on my mind. I recognize that participation in a message board as well as attendance at one of Mr. Bush's performances is not a statistically sound sample of the population, but still...
My issue is this: that if the airwaves were filled with stories about the good efforts of American servicemen and women to rebuild the lives of Iraqis it would not exonerate our invasion of Iraq and the destabilization of the region. This war did not have to happen, and should not have happened. That's the story.
When that amphibious ready group was turned around to help pick up the pieces after the tsunami I said that I thought the guys, if asked, would have volunteered to turn around. 35-40 years ago we reached out to the Vietnamese because the government had delusions of winning "the hearts and minds" of the people. Okay, it was a bullshit program, but some of the connections were very real. For the most part, the military is made up of really great people who want to do the right thing. Ask us to give up a day of our liberty to paint a school and we're all over it, and we don't much care whose school it is.
I'm kind of mellowing toward Mr. Bush personally... he's starting to look terrible, and I worry that all of that lying is starting to rot him... but I still don't want him or his administration to be given any credit for the tireless efforts of men and women he sent to Iraq to rebuild infrastructure that he had us blow up. That's right up there with OJ expecting recognition as a single father.
1 comment:
Well said, as usual. I, too, have the utmost respect and highest regard for those military men and women who truly try to represent American values through their interactions with Iraqi residents.
For those service people who don't believe in this war, who have been called upon to serve despite their personal beliefs, the challenges they face must only be tempered by their efforts to be just and moral in an immoral situation not of their own making. My heart goes out to those men and women, their loved ones, especially.
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