The ‘Mushy’ Case for War

Salman Rushdie makes the liberal case for war. Hear, hear. While I quibble with his dismissal of the Iraqi threat to our interests, his puzzlement over the venom with which anti-war zealots attack America is something I share. Truly, the overthrow of the Iraqi regime seems to be a no-brainer where national interests and what is right so clearly and nearly completely overlap. This is the domestic version of the strange behavior of our allies who consider American power to be a greater threat than Iraq. How can protesters even argue that it is morally wrong to attack Iraq? What level of Saddam depravity would it take to make them say, yeah, it is right to overthrow his regime and root out the Baathist thugs from Tikrit who have misruled Iraq? This crowd is taken by the slogan of "if you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem." Well I say, apply it to Iraq. I can understand wondering whether the price we will pay to oust Saddam is worth it. We are balancing two unknown numbers: the price of inaction versus the price of action. But to take to the streets to defend the Iraqi regime? That is just sick. And those who pretend that they have the moral high ground are mind-numbingly wrong. This whole anti-war movement seems to be like one of those "Beatles Experience" tours where a bunch of(ok, four) guys dressed like the band play their songs. It is all quite the experience for aging boomers and youngsters who wish they had experienced the Beatles. This new "Vietnam Experience" appeals to aging protesters from Vietnam and younger folks who constantly bemoan their lack of a similar defining moment. They want "their" anti-war movement and by God, if they have to defend a butcher regime just because the American government, backed by the voice of the people as represented by Congress, wants to destroy Saddam, then so be it. That is sick. It really is. It is a self-centered notion of morality that holds that the act of protesting something marks you as morally superior.

I sleep just fine at night, thank you. Things may go wrong, but they sure as heck won’t go right if we listen to the protesters. I also share Rushdie’s concern that we must try to impose democracy and rule of law in Iraq and not just rely on our own strongman. This is a nation we must build.

So enjoy your experience, protesters. I’m sure you’ll have quite the tale to tell your children and grandkids one day. Meanwhile we have a job to do.

On to Baghdad.