Dear War Supporter: Since You Asked . . .

[checks-n-balances]

Dear War Supporter: Since You Asked . . .
by R. J. Eskow

"I have to infer from that (statement) that you would be happier if Saddam Hussein were still in power." - Paul Wolfowitz

Let's deal with this question once and for all, OK? It's the classic retort given by neocons and other war supporters when anyone questions the wisdom of the Iraq War. In this case, it was Wolfowitz's response to a student who had just said the following: "We are tired, Secretary Wolfowitz, of being feared and hated by the world. We are tired of watching Americans and Iraqis die, and international institutions cry out in anger against us."

Let's say I get disturbed by a spider crawling the garage wall. I slam the car into it at 50 miles an hour, destroying the car and causing a few thousand dollars in damage to the garage. When my wife objects, I say:

"I have to infer from that statement that you would be happier if that spider were still crawling up the wall." No, schmuck, she says, I'd be happier if we still had a car and didn't have to fork out ten thousand dollars to fix the garage.

(snip)

So Dear Wolfie, and anybody else tempted to pose this question: No. I would not be happier if Saddam Hussein were still in power. I would be happier if 1,500 Americans were still alive. I would be happier if 20,000 - 150,000 Iraqi civilians were still alive. I would be happier if tens of thousands of American soldiers didn't have to face a future of disfigurement, disability, and/or psychological torment. I would be happier if my country didn't violate international law. I would be happier if I weren't lied to by an unethical government and an incompetent news media. I would be happier if we did something else with the $250 billion we're spending on this war. I would be happier if the policy of successfully containing Saddam had been continued. I would be happier if we hadn't gone through all this just so we can replace Saddam's dictatorship with a pro-Iranian theocracy. I would be happier if we had any military resources to spare, so maybe we could rescue the helpless people of Darfur.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0327-24.htm

[The Doctor.]

1. I used the "Rat in the Kitchen" analogy once...

Great article.

I think I'll e-mail the link around.