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Owning Up |
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With the Iraq withdrawal deadline narrowly surviving the Senate, even an inevitable Presidential veto won't change the fact that the tide finally seems to be turning. A new Gallup poll shows that 60 percent of Americans now support such a timetable, and with the situation staying the course (i.e. deteriorating), one can only imagine this number will rise. I'm glad to see Democrats taking the charge on this, as the stiffly partisan voting indicates that Republicans are never going to stand up to the White House insofar as Iraq is concerned. But there's something still bothering me. A lot of quotes have been flying around from Democrats that sound like this:
"It is now time for us to make clear to the Iraqis that it is their war, their country, their future."
That was Dick Durbin of Illinois, a guy I'm inclined to like. But this quote reflects what seems to be the status quo withdrawal argument among Congressional Democrats: Iraq is experiencing a civil war and it's their problem, not ours.
Now imagine trying this argument on someone you just infected with herpes. "This is your disease, your body, your future. See you later."
I'm all for a withdrawal. I've been for a withdrawal pretty much since there was withdrawing to be done (once it became irrelevant to have been against the war in the first place). But I don't want to see the United States so shamelessly covering its ass as it does the withdrawing. Yeah, it's Iraq's civil war, but it's our fault it happened. There was no civil war when we got there. There was no power vacuum when we got there. This mess is our doing, our fault, our failure. And there only seem to be two choices facing us at the moment: stay in Iraq and continue to perpetuate an ugly conflict with the sliver-thin chance that things will eventually calm down, or leave Iraq to its own devices with the sliver-thin chance that things will eventually calm down. As I see it, it's mostly a question of how many American soldiers get killed in the end. Leaving Iraq is not good; it's just the lesser of two evils.
Let's be honest with ourselves. We as a nation made a collossal error in judgement and we've created a mess we're not capable of cleaning up. A mature adult is expected to be able to admit this kind of thing. Apologize for it. Maybe even figure out a way to make up for it. That's not weakness; nor are stubbornness and ducking responsibilities strength. As the Democrats begin to exert their reclaimed political power, I'd like to see them remember this.
Quinn Stephens is a writer, digital media designer, and Web cartoonist. He lives in Chicago. Visit his personal site at www.quinnstephens.com.
i agree with the shameless nature of these comments. But politicians are cowards by nature when it comes to public statements. Some would call it tactics, or strategy, I call it cowardice. In any case, I can't imagine that the politicians actually believe what they're saying. Most likely they think that makes it palatable to most Americans, continues to uphold this infallible image of US aims and efforts, etc. Like, we did our best but they just didn't want to co-operate, they don't want to be saved, sort of thing. The truth of the matter is we have a huge responsibility to continue our support. That support should be economic, helping to rebuild their infrastructure, but to do it via a (relatively) neutral vehicle, such as the UN. Contribute troops to a UN peacekeeping team and contribute money to firms of the UN's, or possibly the Iraqi's, choosing.
I say turn the war budget into an aid buget. Billions to Iraq to restore services and security. Blood money maybe, but I believe we owe it to them.