Frank Rich OP-ED Article on Iraq 9-16-07

I look forward to Frank Rich’s OP-ED “Blog” every Sunday morning. He wraps the truth in a very palatable package that is easy, but often disconcerting, to swallow; especially when the article is concerned with George Bush and his war in Iraq. Mr. Rich’s opinion flies in the face of the latest catch phrase emanating from the Bush jack boot speech writers and “catchy phrase” originators who fill the airwaves with propaganda the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Chairman Mao died in 1976. I never thought I’d say this, but I feel strongly that Mr. Bush has gotten away with the things he has because of a pervasive apathy of the American people brought on in large part by the absence of a military draft.

During the Viet Nam conflict, the streets were often filled with demonstrators against the war because the draft was randomly selecting and placing men on active duty who were soon sent to Viet Nam where hell was holding court here on earth. People of all social/economic classes were in danger of being next to go and no one liked that. Today, people give lip service but stop short of taking a more active stand against the war. They have nothing to fear from being pressed into service to fight in Iraq. The military has become a voluntary organization that is quickly and decisively loosing its volunteers.

While our volunteer system is beginning to fail us, it would be adequate if the Iraq war, or any war, was perceived as being necessary to protect America from harm or to take a stand against terrorism in another country to prevent terrorists from coming to our shores. Americans now know that the reasons given for attacking Iraq were bogus. All the information coming at us from the White House and/or the Pentagon has fallen apart under its own weight and has been shown to be less than truthful. If our American youth believed that the Iraq war was a noble, necessary war, they would volunteer in sufficient numbers to keep our military functioning adequately. However, most now feel that the war is not worth fighting and possibly dying for or loosing a limb, and who can blame them?

Now that the unthinkable has happened and our military has become embroiled in the civil war in Iraq, how do we walk away from the mess we created and throw Iraq and most probably the entire region into a war that could easily become World War III? It makes one wonder if General Petraeus was regurgitating the Bush line or if he understood the real gravity of the situation. The same goes for Ryan Crocker.

Are we willing to live our lives without oil; or, at best, with the current oil import levels being drastically reduced? Remember the hell that was the mid seventies when OPEC reduced output and plunged our daily routine into havoc? Try doubling that reduction and see what happens. Our economy is not as healthy as the Bushkies would have us believe. It would most likely collapse under the weight of such a serious embargo.

The only way out of this mess is to stay in Iraq for decades to come and assume the role of peace keepers to keep the conflict within Iraq’s borders and also to work with the varied Muslim sects to lay down their differences and form a centralized government of Iraqis. To do that, the government will need to reinstate the military draft and increase the number of personnel on active duty.

If blame is to be assigned, it should be done so, equally, between the Bush Administration, Congress, and the American people because of our crippling apathy and inaction. While the future looks grim having to stay in Iraq, it could be markedly worse if we withdraw and let the chips fall where they may.