Thinkin' 'bout the war

As someone who supports war with Iraq (whether or not evidence of weapons of mass destruction are found by the investigators; my goal is regime change), I have had more than a few conversations (and some heated arguments) with folks who disagree. It dawned on me that while I put forth what I hope are reasoned arguments (Saddam Hussein is a credible threat; his belligerence is destabilizing to the entire region; putting in place a democratic, free-market government would do doubt spur other progressive developments in the Moslem world; the Blair government in the UK has established to my satisfaction the links between Saddam and Al Quaeda; given the diminished capacity of the Iraqi military, the war should be brief), and I take into account what I consdier to be credible counter-arguments (the US should have taken Saddam out the last time; unilateralism is bad foreign policy; tens of thousands of Iraqis have already died; it's all about Bush getting re-elected; and--this I hear no one talking about--Baghdad is one of the most important archeological sites in the world), what I hear back are basically personal statements about how people feel about going to war. (That was a long sentence, sorry.) Things like, "I'm opposed to war."

Well, I'm opposed to war, too. I'm also opposed to people getting stabbed with knives, unless it's a surgeon who is wielding the knife in order to save, prolong, or better the life of the person getting stabbed. Often, blood must be spilled and lives lost because ultimately, the benefits outweigh the risks. And, ushering Saddam Hussein off the world stage would be good for the U.S., good for the Iraqi people, and good for the Middle East and the world.

During the Viet Nam war, opponents of the war put forth not emotional appeals, (well, they put out a lot of emotional appeals), but also lots of credible arguments about why the war was wrong for America and didn't serve our foreign policy interests. Over time, their arguments undermined the rationale for the war in the popular mind, and that brought about our pulling out of the war.

So, "I'm for peace, not war!" does a disservice to your cause, O Dovish Ones.

Oh, and corollary to that, assertions about the venality of the U.S. government, or Republicans, or the Bush administration, or George Bush, or whoever, are separate and apart from the question of whether or not we should take up arms against Saddam Hussein.


Anyway.