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Stay the course or cut and run Humorist Will Rogers was a great and respected philosopher in the 1920s and 1930s. An American Indian and an Oklahoma cowboy, he reached the Guiness Book of Records for his roping skills. This led him from the ranch to the Broadway stage. But his comments on life made him famous. He was friend to presidents and kings, circled the globe twice and was the first celebrated radio commentator. Known for making things clear and simple for the average person, he once quipped that the country was in good shape because Congress was in recess. They couldn’t do any harm during recess. It’s a shame Congress wasn’t in recess the week they voted to back President George W. Bush in starting a war with Iraq. The fault—or credit, if there is any to be bound—must be shared by our elected leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives. The president wouldn’t have invaded Iraq, a sovereign nation, without Congress backing him. In retrospect, everyone has sought cover by blaming “faulty intelligence” and unreliable sources. Whose fault was that? The people in Washington are there to serve and protect the people and this nation. They are not supposed to be duped by faulty intelligence. They are not supposed to lead this country into a history altering conflict without being on firm ground. It was not the actions of one political party. There were few voices of dissent—Democrat or Republican—speaking out against an invasion. Everyone got on the bandwagon of the current political mood. When no one could find Osama bin Laden for his role in the Twin Towers destruction, Saddam Hussein was an easy target. A source says his attention was toward writing a novel, and never had any collusion with bin Laden, that the two men didn’t care for each other. Bombs fell on Iraq and the country was invaded by the mightiest military force in history. Someone in Washington convinced themselves the Iraqis would welcome us with open arms. Some thought the military could walk in, defeat the arm and walk out with the country embracing Democracy and freedom of religion. Wrong. This was a country divided, held together only by Saddam’s iron rule. This was a country devoid of democracy and religious tolerance. As one Iraqi said, as bad as Saddam was, he was one of us. Bin Laden didn’t dream America would tumble because he attacked the World Trade Center. His goal was to start a religious war and a division between the west and the Islamic extremist states. He got his wish, thanks to the reckless Washington logic that a bomb is preferable to diplomacy and understanding. When he made the decision to invade Iraq, the United Nations turned down his invitation to join in. Our NATO allies said, No. Only Tony Blair brought Great Britain into the Bush publicized coalition of 40 nations. Included were such countries as Tonga with four troops and Iceland with two. Many countries have since gone home. It was not like Korea with the free world in unison. All the Madison Avenue jingles in the world—Iraqi Freedom, War on Terror—won’t change the truth. There is no country named Terror. It’s a concept, like saying the War on Sin or the War on Evil. Instead of eliminating, the miscalculation in the Middle East has inflamed it, like pouring gasoline on a small fire. Look at the destruction and losses. Thousands of American men and women killed in combat. Nearly a million civilians and resistance fighters. Billions of loss to the infrastructure in Iraqi. America’s national deficit staggering into the trillions. Loss of prestige in the world for America, carrying the tag of a reckless nation who might invade a country without real evidence or clear danger. It bothers me most that our leaders, many of whom never saw a battlefield or faced danger in the service of their country are eager to send someone else to face possible death or mutilation for a contrived goal. They are willing to send young men and women off to war, as long as it’s someone else or someone else’s sons and daughters. We can’t stay the course. We can’t cut and run. It would help if our leaders were honest enough to admit they made a mistake. It would be expecting too much to acknowledge that peace in the Middle East will only come with the beginning of an Israeli-Palestinian solution, one through diplomacy, not more bloodshed. Some in Congress say we should just pull out troops out and let Iraqis solve the problem themselves. Iraqis didn’t create the problem. Washington did. We can’t walk away. But we must realize the solution is not with smart bombs and force. America is out of its league trying to understand the mind set of the people there. We need to provide our assistance and let others take control: the United Nations and mainly the countries in the area. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt are the cousins of the Iraqis and could work better with them than America will ever be able to. We have to use plain old common sense, starting with being honest with ourselves and the rest of the world. We have to realize bombs alone aren’t the answer and, most importantly, that we need help from the Middle East nations.
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