Tuesday, March 21, 2006

It Was Never About Being Right

People who know I opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning are now acting as though they're waiting for an "I told you so." Still missing the point, guys. This was never about me playing (to use a pet phrase of GWB) a game of "gotcha." It was rooted in my belief that the administration had not done enough to avert the war, had not exhausted all diplomatic options, did not give credence to the UN inspectors, and decided to disregard international opinion. No, we didn't go in completely alone, but compared to the numbers of US boots on the ground, it was pretty much a US effort. And NO I am not slighting their assistance--just don't think these countries should have had to risk their soldiers, either.

The sacrifices made by so many families, the lives lost and the thousands of wounded deserve so much more than an "I told you so."

And now it seems that every day I read about another conservatives backing away from Bush and his Iraq policy just as fast as his poll numbers fall. Of course, it's much easier to abandon the ship when it's already sinking and the legislation pushed through by the Republican-controlled Congress have already had the effect of shoving overboard women, children and seniors. After all, no one is going to call you a traitor now, right?

I'm not holding my breath for an apology from those (some were friends and/or family) who insinuated, and in some instances stated flat out, that I was a coward, unpatriotic, unAmerican. Fortunately, the word "traitor" only touched me as part of the broad brush tactic employed so well by the administration and its mouthpiece (aka FOX News) to shut us up and make us look like extremists on the fringes of society.

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