A Veteran Remembers Lies About Wars on Memorial Day
As a veteran of the days of debacle in Viet Nam I am reminded once again on this Memorial Day weekend of the lies and deceptions that continue to get us into and allow us to stay in wars that are futile.
But those who never lived through those times find it easy not to know and they fire up their barbecues and raise their American flags and pay homage to those who gave the “ultimate sacrifice to bring freedom to another part of the world.”
How does it honor those who died to keep making the same mistakes? We got into Vietnam based on a lie. Ditto Iraq. We stayed in Vietnam longer than necessary based on more lies even after we knew it was futile. Ditto Iraq.
An article in today’s Washington Post gives a realistic picture of the carnage that Iraq has become as Sunnis and Shites continue their civil war as the Bush administration still lies about “progress.”
Now instead of making things better, our presence is only making things worse and our foreign policy today is creating terrorists faster than we can kill them. But finally many Americans are waking up on this Memorial Day and seeing the truth for what it is even as some Democratic Party leaders are urging us to hang in there a little longer. It’s over, Joe Lieberman, and yes, you too, Carl Levin. You were wrong and your visits to Iraq inside the Green Zone were a farce.
Staying longer in Iraq isn’t going to do the Iraqis any more good than staying in Vietnam long after we knew better.
Whose son will be the last one who dies for this futile war? Will it be yours? Mine?
posted by John B. at 10:50 AM
3 Comments:
Once again, let us remember which party supports our troops and which doesn't.
While a number of Democrats (for reasons my 18.5-year-old mind can't understand) voted for this war (Lieberman, R-CT, among them), most of those who stood up against it were Democrats such as Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.
You say:
"...yes, you too, Carl Levin. You were wrong and your visits to Iraq inside the Green Zone were a farce."
Carl Levin? Where did he go wrong? Like I say, he and Stabenow voted against this war. Perhaps those words should be targeted at such Rubber Stamps as You-Know-Who from Midland.
As for his trips to Iraq: I'm sure they have to do with his standing as the top Democrat and former (and hopefully future) chair of the Armed Services Committee.
After all, while some Democrats supported it, this is still a Republican war, and this mess is the responsibility of George Walker Bush, Dave Camp, et al.
While Levin is not a supporter of this war he is oppossed to pulling out of Iraq. His argument is that it would make things worse if we withdrew precipitously. Levin claims to know more than we do because he has been to Iraq. But the trips by legislators do not give them a better view of the situation anymore than the trips to Vietnam informed legislators before we pulled out of that quagmire. All Democrats have great respect for our two U.S. Senators. Levin has been a gem.
It goes without saying that the Bush Administration and its rubber-stamp congress is responsible for the Iraq disaster. But more lives are being lost when trusted public servants like Levin fail to see the truth. Staying longer in Iraq is not good policy.
Yes there would be more chaos in Iraq, but our dollars and sons would not be further wasted. Trying to make lemonade out of a Bush lemon isn't going to work and it is foolish for Levin to think so.
Levin has been right about most things that matter to Michiganders, but staying in Iraq longer is not the answer.
I still think Camp is more responsible than Levin.
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