Perspectives

Two Perspectives on the Iraq War

Camillo (Mac) Bica

The Iraq War from the perspective of a Chickenhawk:

A war against terrorism

and to liberate and bring democracy

to the Iraqi people.

A noble and necessary effort

characterized by a minimum disruption

to the lives of the majority of Americans,

huge corporate profits,

a tax cut for the wealthy,

fought by other people’s children

who lack “other priorities”

and influential families.

The Iraq War from the perspective of approximately 60% of Americans

and just about everyone else in the world:

A preemptive invasion and occupation

of a non threatening sovereign nation

based upon faulty intelligence, deception, and lies;

misrepresented as a war against terrorism

and to liberate and bring democracy

to an oppressed people;

initiated by an incompetent, though despotic,

Chief Executive and his cronies

in violation of international law,

numerous treaties and conventions,

and the Constitution of the United States;

in defiance of the objections and protestations

of long time allies, the United Nations,

and a significant proportion of its own citizenry;

enabled by a rubber stamp

and spineless Congress,

many of whom,

like Senator Hilary Clinton,

still refuse to acknowledge their mistake in judgment;

acquiesced to by a compliant mainstream press and media;

characterized by specious strategy

and flawed tactics;

orchestrated by the Defense Department’s

arrogant and headstrong civilian leadership

who consistently refused or ignored

the advice of military experts;

fought by an heroic and dedicated military,

inadequate in strength of numbers

and disgracefully ill-equipped,

many of whom were ill-prepared

National Guardsmen and Reservists,

the rest overtaxed,

mislead and deceived into believing

their sacrifices to be in behalf of freedom

and a necessary response

to the heinous attacks of September 11th;

thus far costing approximately 2700 American lives,

20,000 to 40,000 American injured,

43,000 to 47,000 Iraqi civilian lives,

and $318.5 billion;

all in the name of a generally apathetic

and ill-informed nation.

It is time for President Bush to reevaluate his perspective on the war. The lesson that Chickenhawks need to learn from history is not of the futility of Neville Chamberlain’s attempt to appease Hitler in pre World War II Europe. Rather it is of the sacrilege of continuing to fight the Vietnam War even after it became clear to many, including Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, its chief architect, that the war was a mistake and unwinnable. At that point, in early 1968, approximately 11,000 American soldiers had been killed. Yet, for seven more years, Presidents Johnson and Nixon “stayed the course”in Vietnam costing the lives of an additional 47,000 young men and women. Let’s not make the same mistake in Iraq. Bring the troops home now!