War is not the answer

Republicans want the choice to be between war (``victory'') and ``defeat''


Forcefully opposing H. Res. 861

The Republicans have resisted debating the Iraq war in Congress. Until now. They suddenly seem to think they have an irresistable political force, ``victory''. They are betting the farm that the American people will see their war in Iraq in just this way--stay in it for victory or withdraw for ``defeat''. For those American voters in a Congressional or presidential election who perceive the choice that way, how many would select ``defeat''?

Facing weak-kneed, divided Democrats, the Republicans may well prevail in the November Congressional elections on just this counterintuitive, pro-war strategy. Frank Rich argues as much in a Sunday New York Times oped. (``Karl Rove Beats the Democrats Again'', June 18, 2006). Unfortunately, I fear he is right.

To underscore the point, the Republican House leadership has rammed through a resolution (HR 861) containing a mythos so profound that voting against it would be equivalent to voting against victory, hence freedom, and by implication even God himself.

The resolution in part, ``declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.'' It does not bother to explain how we are going to know when we have ``prevailed.'' I can only guess. Will the US have prevailed after its military has attacked and destroyed every population on the planet that might contain individuals who might be able to engage in attacks of their own? Prevailing, then, would be the point at which the US military is the only force left able to kill, as is its God-given right.

Reviewing the Republican arguments reveals what can only be described as myth, on par with how they promoted the belief that Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction. It's must be a very busy Pentagon & White House psy-ops operation against the American people to keep this panic button pressed while driving support for war through use of fear. A recently-unleashed Karl Rove seems to be producing with the utmost zeal.

Here is the shorter version of the pro-war narrative: America failed to recognize the signs from the bombing of Khobar Towers, our East African embassies, the USS Cole, and the World Trade Center (in 1993) that we were up against a powerful, highly organized, evil, global force called Terror. We made the mistake of thinking that a justice system that survived for 800 years since the Magna Carta was up to the task of victory against Terror. Then came the day on 9/11 when Terror really slapped us in the face, jerking our blue skies into a stark reality of balls of fire, ash, and choking soot. On that day, everything changed and we realized that only Heroes would be able to defeat Terror. Heroism began on Flight 93 on 9/11 and continues today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Saddam was an evil cancer on the world and was a threat to us because we thought he had Weapons of Mass Destruction. Iraq is better off today because Saddam Hussein is answering for crimes he committed against humanity while our brave troops deliver apple pie and kill Terror, after sorting it out from the population. The Iraqis and Afghanis are thrilled with their liberation.

Man oh man, such delusion. I'll have more to say on the amazing pro-war rhetoric in future posts.

On Friday, the House passed HR 861 with a 256-153 vote. This is not too far off of the numbers that voted in favor of the war in 2002, with many Democrats voting with the majority. The majority for funding the war was even bigger, 351-67. As John Nichols writes in The Nation, Congress has given Bush ``another blank check for perpetual war''. Is it not clear that Congress will never stop this war without millions of people on their doorsteps calling for an end to the war, continuously for months?

That is what Rep. Dennis Kucinich said in one of the best anti-war speeches during Thursday's debate:

MR. KUCINICH: Thank you, Mr. MURTHA, and the Out of Iraq Caucus.

The President will not bring an end to this war. He says it is a decision for the next President. But he is building permanent bases in Iraq, and he is determined to keep 50,000 troops in Iraq into the distant future. This Congress may not bring an end to this war because the real power to end the war is in a cutoff of funds. Congress keeps appropriating funds in the name of the troops, and the troops will stay in Iraq instead of coming home.

Only the American people can bring an end to this war as they brought an end to the Vietnam War. Let this be a time of stirring of civic soul. It is a time for a reawakening of civic conscience. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but there are WMDs in DC. Lies are weapons of mass destruction. 2,500 soldiers dead. Over 10,000 Iraqis, innocent Iraqis have died.

It is time for an end to our national sleepwalk to the graveyard of the Iraq war. It is a time for truth, a time for clarity, a time for action, a time for teachins, for meet-ups, for marches, for rallies about the war to begin at college campuses, at churches, at labor halls, at libraries. It is time to gather in civic centers, in town halls, to discuss the truth about this war and to plan civic action to end it, time for the American people to exercise their first amendment right to stand up and speak out, time to redirect the policies of this country, time to learn and practice peaceful, nonviolent conflict resolution, time to believe in our capacity to evolve beyond war, to believe and act under the belief that war is not inevitable and peace is inevitable if we are ready to commit to the daily work of peace building everywhere.

The global war on terror has become a global war of error: attacking or threatening countries which did not attack us, bombing neighborhoods to save neighborhoods, committing atrocities in the name of stopping atrocities, losing our vision, losing our way in theworld, sacrificing our children and their future, giving up their future resources for education, for health care, for housing, piling it all high on the altar of war and worshipping a false god of destruction.

When we begin these proceedings with this remembrance, Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, we are not talking about any nation. We are talking about a force which is above all of us. The world is not ours to conquer. There is no glory in the abuse of power. This President will not bring an end to this war after the Murtha resolution, this Congress may not bring an end to this war, but the American people certainly will bring an end to this war. They will do it in the streets, and they will do it at the ballot box, and the American people will become the Out of Iraq Caucus.

Unfortunately, as long as a great swath of public operates on delusions supported by the rhetorical flourish of the pro-war operation, the killing will continue. Dennis has said what needs to happen if we want to stop the killing.