Finally: The Candidates On The War
Thomas Oliphant has a fairly interesting op-ed piece in today's Boston Globe. Mr. Oliphant, a former columnist for the Globe, is usually far more interesting to listen to than to read, but he does usually have some pretty good insight in either case.
The main thrust of his analysis of the two remaining Democratic candidates for president is suggested by the title of the piece: "It All Boils Down To The War." Frankly, many of us in the progressive sector of the electorate have been trying to get our candidates to see this and to start talking concretely about their proposals to get us the hell out of that morass. They've just begun, but at least they're starting.
IN THE FINAL hours before an unprecedented voting event, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have managed - with commendable good will - to clear away the smaller issue branches that have obscured our view of them for a year. In the end, as in the beginning, what is left is the war in Iraq. ...
Passionate haters of this mess and of the lies and incompetence that produced it need to understand that this is no slam dunk liability for Clinton. You don't have to be an apologist to understand her point that it is vital to make sure that the war is ended with care and skill - even at the expense of a hard-and-fast timetable. Her attention to the demands of this task is a true plus, worthy of a president.
But even apologists have to recognize the power of Obama's assertion that while it is imperative to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in, it is also imperative that we not merely stop the war but the mindset that produced it.
Frankly, at this point I really do. not. care. how Sen. Clinton voted for the AUMF. I wish no one, not one single senator, had voted to allow Bush and his minions to drag us into this illegal and misbegotten war, but they did. Their mistake was in believing the lies they and the rest of the country got from the White House. But they did, and the vote reflects that. Stupid? In hindsight, of course. But to coin a phrase, who could have imagined that the President of the United States would start a war just because he wanted to. Very few people.
And Sen. Clinton is right that we can't just chopper out 130,000 soldiers and thousands of private contractors with all the equipment involved at the drop of a hat. No one I know has ever seriously suggested that. The extrication is going to be a mind-numbing exercise in fine details if the personnel are to brought home safely. Sen. Clinton understands that.
On the other hand, Sen. Obama is right on the money in his assertion that it is "imperative that we not merely stop the war but the mindset that produced it." We have to find a way to stop any future wars being waged just because the yahoo-in-chief wants to wave his penis at the world. We also have to find a way to understand the roots of the terrorism that provided the justification for two wars and to find ways to correct the conditions that fed those roots. Mortars and bombs are of no use in that task, as the world has been trying to tell us for the past five years.
Did the last debate help me to decide which candidate gets my vote on Tuesday? Not quite. But at least I am beginning to have some hope that whichever candidate wins the nomination will finally turn this country in the right direction when it comes to war-making and war-ending. For that I am grateful.
The main thrust of his analysis of the two remaining Democratic candidates for president is suggested by the title of the piece: "It All Boils Down To The War." Frankly, many of us in the progressive sector of the electorate have been trying to get our candidates to see this and to start talking concretely about their proposals to get us the hell out of that morass. They've just begun, but at least they're starting.
IN THE FINAL hours before an unprecedented voting event, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have managed - with commendable good will - to clear away the smaller issue branches that have obscured our view of them for a year. In the end, as in the beginning, what is left is the war in Iraq. ...
Passionate haters of this mess and of the lies and incompetence that produced it need to understand that this is no slam dunk liability for Clinton. You don't have to be an apologist to understand her point that it is vital to make sure that the war is ended with care and skill - even at the expense of a hard-and-fast timetable. Her attention to the demands of this task is a true plus, worthy of a president.
But even apologists have to recognize the power of Obama's assertion that while it is imperative to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in, it is also imperative that we not merely stop the war but the mindset that produced it.
Frankly, at this point I really do. not. care. how Sen. Clinton voted for the AUMF. I wish no one, not one single senator, had voted to allow Bush and his minions to drag us into this illegal and misbegotten war, but they did. Their mistake was in believing the lies they and the rest of the country got from the White House. But they did, and the vote reflects that. Stupid? In hindsight, of course. But to coin a phrase, who could have imagined that the President of the United States would start a war just because he wanted to. Very few people.
And Sen. Clinton is right that we can't just chopper out 130,000 soldiers and thousands of private contractors with all the equipment involved at the drop of a hat. No one I know has ever seriously suggested that. The extrication is going to be a mind-numbing exercise in fine details if the personnel are to brought home safely. Sen. Clinton understands that.
On the other hand, Sen. Obama is right on the money in his assertion that it is "imperative that we not merely stop the war but the mindset that produced it." We have to find a way to stop any future wars being waged just because the yahoo-in-chief wants to wave his penis at the world. We also have to find a way to understand the roots of the terrorism that provided the justification for two wars and to find ways to correct the conditions that fed those roots. Mortars and bombs are of no use in that task, as the world has been trying to tell us for the past five years.
Did the last debate help me to decide which candidate gets my vote on Tuesday? Not quite. But at least I am beginning to have some hope that whichever candidate wins the nomination will finally turn this country in the right direction when it comes to war-making and war-ending. For that I am grateful.
Labels: Election 2008, Iraq War
posted by Diane at 1:14 PM
4 Comments:
I agree- at last someone is at least saying the thing that needs to be said.
Up to now, if the war was a mistake, it was because it was somehow bungled or badly managed.
No. America had no "right" to invade Iraq. We must rid ourselves of this delusion if we don't want to repeat it.
Merely by saying this, Obama has done much good.
This Edwards supporter has pretty much decided on Obama.
Both Obama and Hillary have far too much DLC (Republican Lite would be my polite term for it) on their staffs for my tastes.
But we can't let perfect be the enemy of good, unless we all want to be Ralph Nader, redux. And how's that working for us?
~
One of the problems is that Obama's mindset seems to include pretty aggressive actions against both Iran and the northwest areas of Pakistan.
Unilaterally, if necessary.
So, what is the new mindset of which you speak, sir?
jawbone
"... we can't just chopper out 130,000 soldiers and thousands of private contractors with all the equipment involved at the drop of a hat. No one I know has ever seriously suggested that. The extrication is going to be a mind-numbing exercise in fine details if the personnel are to brought home safely."
horseshit. you can pull out every single swingin' richard in one gd day IF YOU WANT TO!! we certainly did when i was in the 101st Abn. let me be the first to 'suggest' this course of action. and to hell with that 'mind-numbing' crap - just get the hell out and leave the GD OIL BEHIND!! Let me tell you something - if the usa has to F***ing WALK OUT of Iraq then that is exactly what it should do. jeebus. this sh*t is just not that hard. and to hell with the 'safety' of the amerikan Oil Stealing Iraqi Murdering Occupiers. they are all Guilty of a War Crime of Epic Proportions. Why do you think so many of the usa military is committing suicide these days?? Because THEY KNOW THAT WHAT THEY DID WAS EVIL AND A WAR CRIME!!
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