There's another good article posted on Alternet this morning concerning the carnage we've had a large hand in over in Iraq. John Tirman of The Nation takes a look at the really grim statistics. According to current calculations, there have been "about 1 Million Killed, 4.5 Million Displaced, 1-2 Million Widows, 5 Million Orphans".
While I think these estimates certainly are in the ballpark, I'm really growing tired of the alternative press laying the responsibility solely at the feet of the former president. Yes, Dubya got us into the war and, yes, he did it under false pretenses. But we've had a mechanism to stop the war from the get go -- at any point in time, Congress could have cut the purse strings which would have stopped the war dead in its tracks! You simply can't wage war without the necessary military appropriations.
But time and time again Congress -- with Democratic majorities -- continued to approve funding and, in some instances, for even more money than the Bush administration asked for. While the Dems stood at press conferences to provide sound bytes about how they "opposed the war" in Iraq, their actions told a completely different story!!!
It didn't matter how many of us across the country took to the streets in protest over this immoral war. It didn't matter how many phone calls we made, emails we sent or letters to the editor we penned. At the end of the day, Congress members on both sides of the aisle kept funneling more and more of our taxpayer dollars to Iraq to keep the war going.
Therefore, Iraq is not the bloodstained legacy of the Bush administration; it's a horrible legacy for our entire nation. Because almost none of our elected representatives would take a stand to stop the carnage, each and every one of us has the stain of innocent blood on our hands.
Far worse, it's not the kind of stain one can wash off with a little soap and water.
While I think these estimates certainly are in the ballpark, I'm really growing tired of the alternative press laying the responsibility solely at the feet of the former president. Yes, Dubya got us into the war and, yes, he did it under false pretenses. But we've had a mechanism to stop the war from the get go -- at any point in time, Congress could have cut the purse strings which would have stopped the war dead in its tracks! You simply can't wage war without the necessary military appropriations.
But time and time again Congress -- with Democratic majorities -- continued to approve funding and, in some instances, for even more money than the Bush administration asked for. While the Dems stood at press conferences to provide sound bytes about how they "opposed the war" in Iraq, their actions told a completely different story!!!
It didn't matter how many of us across the country took to the streets in protest over this immoral war. It didn't matter how many phone calls we made, emails we sent or letters to the editor we penned. At the end of the day, Congress members on both sides of the aisle kept funneling more and more of our taxpayer dollars to Iraq to keep the war going.
Therefore, Iraq is not the bloodstained legacy of the Bush administration; it's a horrible legacy for our entire nation. Because almost none of our elected representatives would take a stand to stop the carnage, each and every one of us has the stain of innocent blood on our hands.
Far worse, it's not the kind of stain one can wash off with a little soap and water.
What has Obama done anything about the war exactly? Anything?
ReplyDeleteWhat has he done? Well, he bombed Pakistan for starters...Other than that, it appears, he has been twiddling his thumbs. I presume this is something presidents must learn to do well.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You're right to place the blame where it belongs. What's that bumper sticker. It's not left v. right, it's us v. the state.