What
is there left to say about this onrushing war? It isn't in
our interests; it has nothing to do with getting the terrorists
responsible for 9/11; it's a war for Israel's sake, not ours;
it's the first step on the road to Empire; it'll wreck our
economy, embolden Bin Laden, and alienate whatever friends
we might have left in the world. It's all been said, and still
they won't listen, so forget the "debate" – the
only language the politicians understand is the threat of
popular outrage. Call your friggin' congressman and tell him
or her this: So, you want to get re-elected? Then you had
better vote against this war – or else!
The
War Party's pet pundits cite the polls as proof of popular
support for an invasion of Iraq, and the Streisand
Democrats are helping to build this Potemkin village by
accusing the President of seeking political advantage in this
war. We are supposed to believe that the number of calls in
to Congress – overwhelmingly
against going to war – contradicts the alleged reality
of majority support for Bush's Iraqi adventure. Don't you
believe it: this isn't the first time that polls have been
used to push war on a reluctant American people, and it won't
be the last.
But
if you look at the poll numbers closely a more complex picture
begins to emerge. One
recent poll shows that big majorities support action against
Saddam, but not without support from our allies. American
enthusiasm for a war involving thousands of casualties is
even more muted, with less than half in support and half that
if we go in alone. The public's highly
conditional support for the President's Iraqi adventure
means the War Party's post-9/11 momentum is nearly exhausted.
They're running out of steam, and now is the time to begin
an effective counteroffensive.
In
all too many cases, the polls tell us the story we want to
hear. Public opinion, in any cae, is shaped moment to moment.
Is it possible the American people are so corrupted by modernity
that they have lost whatever moral sense – or common sense
– they once had? I don't believe it, and I won't believe it.
All this crap about how wildly popular this war is seems so
contrived that it resembles the Soviet propaganda of the cold
war era: Our glorious fighters for proletarian internationalism
are marching forth into the socialist future! That's what
the Kremlin was telling its subjects as they marched into
the Afghan quagmire – and now it's our turn.
As
the rush to war accelerates, and the myth of popular consent
is pounded relentlessly into our heads, the truth peaks out
in random places, small discordant notes amid the martial
music. I liked what Mayor Jerry Ryan, of fulsomely pro-war
Bellvue, Nebraska, had
to say:
"If
you go in, and those 12 Iraqi palaces contain nothing but
prostitutes, we've got a problem."
It's
not the palaces in Iraq that ought to be our concern, but
those palaces in Washington, D.C. Now there are some real
prostitutes, otherwise known as American politicians.
Virtually all of these Solons have hopped on the war bandwagon
with both feet because they have sold themselves to the highest
bidder: some financial or foreign interest that stands to
profit from this war.
There
are two main cheerleading sections for the conquest of Iraq,
and for a concise description of the forces at work here I
would check
out Bill Moyers interviewing Ron Paul:
"I
think there's a lot of influence behind the scenes for this
war dealing with oil interests (and this would influence both
sides of the aisle) and, as much as people want to admit it,
I really think that Israel
and our support for Israel has an influence in our overall
policy."
Those
who haven't been bought out by Big Oil are in thrall to Israel's
amen corner in the U.S. It's as simple as that.
It's
pathetic, really, to see the
spectacle of the Democrats in disarray over this question:
they would much rather be talking about universal health insurance,
Enron, or whatever socialist scheme they're pushing this week.
That's the problem when right-wing
Social Democrats control both parties: the "debate"
we get is between Big Government neo-imperialists and Bigger
Government "multi-lateralists." Everyone else is
an "extremist." How convenient. Isn't "democracy"
wonderful?
There
is some interesting dissent, though. Dennis
Kucinich, being touted by the media as chief organizer
of the congressional "antiwar caucus," has a good
grip on the facts, but mars his case with weepy liberal bromides:
"War is a failure of diplomacy and imagination and creativity,"
he avers, but it isn't true. It took a lot of creativity
to conceive of a way to divert attention away from Osama and
toward Saddam. It took a genuine boldness of imagination to
focus the hate, the need for revenge, the frustrations and
pain of the last year on a man who had nothing whatsoever
to do with any of it. In spite of the
recent reappearance of Bin Laden, the original Evil One
– a story, you'll notice, that is being completely ignored
by the American media – the national obsession with Saddam
Hussein continues unabated.
Senator
Bob Graham (R-Florida), is raising
the question of whether an Iraq attack will increase the
threat of terrorism in the U.S. He's absolutely correct, of
course: but nobody in Congress is listening. And the War Party,
let's be clear about this, wants another terrorist
attack.
It's
a horrible thing to say, but it's true: another 9/11 would
give the War Party carte blanche to go rampaging around the
world – not just in Iraq, but throughout the Middle East.
And right here at home, as well. It's funny how a certain
"blogger"/law
professor-cum-pundit touted by National Review
as a "libertarian" keeps attributing
every violent outburst in the headlines to a likely terrorist
attack. To be so consistently wrong without acknowledging
it, and without changing course, is to invite suspicions of
wishful thinking.
The
ugliness and intellectual degradation of the post-9/11 era
is embodied in our clueless monosyllabic President, speaking
to the American people as if they are as dumb as he is:
"We
owe this to our children, we owe this to peace. We cannot
ignore history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything
we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American."
Democrats,
Republicans, Clintonians, Bushies – it's all the same. Even
as they commit the worst crimes, it's always "for
the children." We have to kill tens of thousands of Iraqis
– in the name of "peace." As for ignoring history:
I realize our chief executive sleepwalked through his college
years without hardly cracking a book, but his ignorance is
nothing special in Washington, where historical memory doesn't
extend beyond the last election. To quote Gibbon
or Tacitus
to these people would only draw a blank stare, such as the
one that seems permanently planted on the Boy Prince's face.
As
we get closer to the day when war actually breaks out, even
the normally solid anti-interventionists defer to the war
hysteria. Here
is good old Bob Novak, who eloquently opposed both Gulf
wars, attacking Senator Robert Byrd's "emotional denunciations"
of Bush's war plans, which, he avers, are "meandering."
The real problem, however, is that they aren't meandering
enough – for what opponents of the drive to war need
at this crucial turning point is a good old-fashioned filibuster,
and Senator Byrd is just the one to do it! So drop the partisan
sniping, Novak, and get with the program: and, as for Byrd's
"emotionalism," we need more passion, not
less, when it comes to opposing this fateful turn.
Passion
inspires action, which leads to change – and that is what
is desperately needed in our misguided and dangerous foreign
policy. It is imperative that you express yourself on this
issue: write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Complain (in writing) when you see the op ed page dominated
by warmongering laptop bombardiers.
But
most of all – and especially now, as the war resolution comes
up for a vote in Congress – you need to express your opposition
to this war by calling your congressional representatives.
I strongly suggest a phone call, rather than an email or a
letter. It's too late for letters, and emails are generally
ignored. We need to flood the phone lines this week. So please
take a few moments – not later, not tomorrow, but right now
– to call you representative. Just type in your zip code,
click "info" underneath the rep's picture,
and the phone number will pop up – and that's your cue to
pick up that phone…..
Justin Raimondo
Please Support Antiwar.com
Antiwar.com
520 S. Murphy Avenue, #202
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
or Contribute
Via our Secure Server
Credit Card Donation Form
Your
contributions are now tax-deductible
|