From the Bench

With the country bogged down in a 200-billion-dollar (so far) war, a four-hundred-billion-dollar a year deficit, and a seven-trillion-dollar-plus national debt, it is unfortunate that the battle to lead this country for the next four years has descended into a national urinating contest between surrogates for two spoiled brats of privilege, fighting over who is (was) the most macho in 1968.

The Viet Nam War is the stage (or urinal). It is a war that just won’t die.

And the war that was a horrible mistake created by "one tough Texas hombre" forty years ago is now, sadly, being repeated in another "mistake" by a new-generation "one tough Texas hombre".

The Iraq War may be just as hard to kill as its predecessor. Despite the claims of its proponents that we are winning, we are not. Those of us old enough to remember Viet Nam remember that the same claims were being made then…….in "67, in ’68, right on through the early 70’s.

Just as in Viet Nam, we are seen by Iraqis as imperialist invaders. Just as then, there are growing elements of resistance that will not quit until we are gone.

It is time to cut our losses and leave.

"Tuck tail and run?", you rise up, square your shoulders, and ask. The same question was asked about Viet Nam.

The answer is, "Yes". That is just what we did in Viet Nam…..finally, after more than seven years; but not before thousands more mostly-young, mostly-non-privileged, young men died. And for what?

Their legacy is a name lost on a long wall with forty-seven-thousand others….. a monument to big, macho egos that were too chicken to fight, but brave enough to send surrogates.

Let’s leave now. Let’s admit that the invasion of Iraq was a monumental mistake. (click to "archives", below, column dated October 18, 2002).

Let’s leave now, and stop pandering to the egos of spoiled brats of privilege. The country deserves better.

Let’s leave now, while the wall is still short.

Ó2004        Dave Nelson