Name: Tess
Home: St. Louis
Fed Up
I'm fed up.
I'm tired of certain members of the Republican party (not to mention Democratic primary loser Joe Lieberman) claiming Democrats are weak on national defense. I'm tired of hearing that if you don't support the disastrous war in Iraq you prefer "a flag that is lily-white to a flag that is red, white, and blue."
To listen to hard to the hawkish Republicans is to feel myself going crazy. They present a false dichotomy: we have to fight in Iraq or the terrorists will attack us on U.S. soil. I'm sorry, but there is no evidence that Iraq had links to al Qaeda before our invasion--but the terrorists are certainly active there now. Even a cursory reading of the headlines (which are now buried in the back of the paper, because we're so used to them) will show that after years of U.S. fighting, terror is alive and well in Iraq. The war in Iraq--with all its blunders and miscalculations--has made me feel less safe.
And some Republicans are now claiming that the terrorist plot uncovered in Britain is reason to "stay the course" and keep fighting in Iraq. Excuse me? As I'm writing this, there is no evidence that any Iraqis were involved with that plot; the suspects in custody are British- and Pakistani-born. The alleged terrorists were foiled not by a military campaign but by excellent investigative work. Not even the most devoted pacifist would argue that we shouldn't be hunting for terrorists and bringing them to justice. But the apprehension of these suspects has nothing to do with the war in Iraq.
I'm tired of the way some Republicans seem to believe that the American people are stupid, and if we hear lies often enough we will come to believe them. It is ludicrous to suggest, as Dick Cheney did, that the terrorists will find encouragement if we discuss the most effective way to fight terrorism. It is ludicrous to suggest that the Democrats don't want a strong, safe America. I'm aware that all politicians posture to some degree, but after more than three years of fighting in Iraq, the ruling party owes the American people an honest discussion.
I'm tired of certain members of the Republican party (not to mention Democratic primary loser Joe Lieberman) claiming Democrats are weak on national defense. I'm tired of hearing that if you don't support the disastrous war in Iraq you prefer "a flag that is lily-white to a flag that is red, white, and blue."
To listen to hard to the hawkish Republicans is to feel myself going crazy. They present a false dichotomy: we have to fight in Iraq or the terrorists will attack us on U.S. soil. I'm sorry, but there is no evidence that Iraq had links to al Qaeda before our invasion--but the terrorists are certainly active there now. Even a cursory reading of the headlines (which are now buried in the back of the paper, because we're so used to them) will show that after years of U.S. fighting, terror is alive and well in Iraq. The war in Iraq--with all its blunders and miscalculations--has made me feel less safe.
And some Republicans are now claiming that the terrorist plot uncovered in Britain is reason to "stay the course" and keep fighting in Iraq. Excuse me? As I'm writing this, there is no evidence that any Iraqis were involved with that plot; the suspects in custody are British- and Pakistani-born. The alleged terrorists were foiled not by a military campaign but by excellent investigative work. Not even the most devoted pacifist would argue that we shouldn't be hunting for terrorists and bringing them to justice. But the apprehension of these suspects has nothing to do with the war in Iraq.
I'm tired of the way some Republicans seem to believe that the American people are stupid, and if we hear lies often enough we will come to believe them. It is ludicrous to suggest, as Dick Cheney did, that the terrorists will find encouragement if we discuss the most effective way to fight terrorism. It is ludicrous to suggest that the Democrats don't want a strong, safe America. I'm aware that all politicians posture to some degree, but after more than three years of fighting in Iraq, the ruling party owes the American people an honest discussion.
posted by Tess | 11:01 AM
1 Comments:
I, a Moderate Republican, think you make an excellent point. I would say that the world is better now without Saddam though.
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