Augmentation

Iraq Augmentation

President Bush, in his arrogance, continues to pursue a failed policy in Iraq. He consistently fails to understand the nature of the hell he has unleashed. Perhaps if he had served in Vietnam, or at least paid attention to what happened there, he would have realized long ago that it is not about accepting sacrifice, increasing troop strength, or lessening the restrictions upon our soldiers’ ability to kill and destroy. It is about winning the hearts and minds of the people, and the possibility of accomplishing that difficult task has long since passed. Had he not avoided military service in Vietnam, perhaps Mr. Bush would have learned that disenfranchised people will endure tremendous sacrifice and struggle heroically and steadfastly against foreign occupiers and aggressors. Perhaps he could have learned these lessons as well had he listened to the advice of senior military leaders, like Generals Zinni and Shinseki, who based upon the lessons they learned first hand in war, warned of the inadequacies and insanity of his plans to invade Iraq. What is most tragic, I think, is that in escalating the war, what is at stake is not George W. Bush’s Presidency or his legacy. That is trivial and insignificant. What is at risk here are the lives – the physical, psychological, and emotional well being – of those soldiers and Marines President Bush so cavalierly places in harm’s way. War is not a game, Mr. Bush, and death is real and permanent. For those who believe that perhaps our "credibility" in the world warrants one further attempt at achieving "victory", I would ask if they would be willing to stay the course were the last American to be killed in Iraq their son or daughter. If not, then, giving Mr. Bush’s "plan" the benefit of the doubt is not a principled conviction, but merely a willingness to sacrifice someone else’s child for a mistake.

School of Visual Arts Press