My Thoughts on a May 17 Speach by Senator Joe Lieberman
Ginger, my Washingto, D.C contact, sent me the text of the the Senator's speach to a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
My response follows.
In my view, Lieberman repeats the same tired and erroneous reasoning as the Bush Administration: Al Qaeda and our war on terrorism demand that we “win” the war we began In Iraq. I wish it were that simple. There is no question that both Al Qaeda and terrorists are fighting us in Iraq. In fact, it is accepted by both the military and intelligence agencies that Iraq is a training place for terrorists. But only because it is the perfect opportunity to hone their skills.
Lieberman makes all sorts of wild statements predicting doom and gloom if we “lose to Al Qaeda and Iran in Iraq.” But he gives no rational for such wildly exaggerated statements. It is like saying, in 1970, that if we lose in Vietnam, China or the USSR will attack us. Nonsense. Iraq, like Vietnam, is a minor war where no vital U.S. national interests are involved, and where a very large part of the indigenous population view us as aggressive, oppressive invaders, with the addition of a religious motivation thrown in.
The fact is that, like Vietnam, winning in Iraq is not worth the cost, so, as we did in Vietnam, we should simply declare the war over and leave.
As I have said before on this blog, the test of Lieberman’s position, and all those like him, is to ask him to state in fifty words or less our mission in Iraq. Never mind all the boogie-man bullshit. Just tell me, succinctly, the goal we hope to achieve in Iraq with the killing and maiming our youth. Mind you, I don’t mind the killing and maiming of our youth. That’s what war does. I just want the losses to mean something worthy of their deaths. Like Vietnam, so long ago, I listen very carefully for just such a statement, and have never heard it.
My response follows.
In my view, Lieberman repeats the same tired and erroneous reasoning as the Bush Administration: Al Qaeda and our war on terrorism demand that we “win” the war we began In Iraq. I wish it were that simple. There is no question that both Al Qaeda and terrorists are fighting us in Iraq. In fact, it is accepted by both the military and intelligence agencies that Iraq is a training place for terrorists. But only because it is the perfect opportunity to hone their skills.
Lieberman makes all sorts of wild statements predicting doom and gloom if we “lose to Al Qaeda and Iran in Iraq.” But he gives no rational for such wildly exaggerated statements. It is like saying, in 1970, that if we lose in Vietnam, China or the USSR will attack us. Nonsense. Iraq, like Vietnam, is a minor war where no vital U.S. national interests are involved, and where a very large part of the indigenous population view us as aggressive, oppressive invaders, with the addition of a religious motivation thrown in.
The fact is that, like Vietnam, winning in Iraq is not worth the cost, so, as we did in Vietnam, we should simply declare the war over and leave.
As I have said before on this blog, the test of Lieberman’s position, and all those like him, is to ask him to state in fifty words or less our mission in Iraq. Never mind all the boogie-man bullshit. Just tell me, succinctly, the goal we hope to achieve in Iraq with the killing and maiming our youth. Mind you, I don’t mind the killing and maiming of our youth. That’s what war does. I just want the losses to mean something worthy of their deaths. Like Vietnam, so long ago, I listen very carefully for just such a statement, and have never heard it.
posted by Bob Baker at 3:00 PM
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