The war will end, some day. We tend to forget that. Neither our military nor our economy can sustain this abomination forever. So, it’s really just a question of when. It’s a question of how many more people will be killed, or have their lives destroyed, before the inevitable and inexorable finally comes to pass. Nothing else really matters, anymore. It’s about lives. There is no rationale. It’s just senseless death and destruction. And when it’s all over, the shattered and the scarred will never have a reason why.
We’re waiting for the heroes who will end this war. Many people are trying to end it, but a small handful will succeed. They will have the right strategy, at the right time, and suddenly the war will be over. Even until the last shot has been fired, it will seem that an end will never happen, that it is impossible; but it is not impossible, and it will happen. We will wonder that it was so obvious. We will wonder that no one before was able to get it done. We will wonder why it took so long. We will receive no answers.
There have been many heroes, in the cause of peace. Cindy Sheehan gave opposition to the war a diginified human face. Numerous veterans and veterans’ organizations give it their courage and sacrifice. Many Congressional Democrats have spent many sleepless nights trying to build the coalitions that, thus far, have failed to coalesce. They have done so even while being berated and derided by many who have no idea how hard they are working, behind the scenes. All of these efforts are noble. All of these efforts are sincere. None of these efforts has yet had the right strategy or the right political muscle to succeed.
The war cannot be won. Even its most ardent supporters no longer seem capable of even explaining what exactly victory would mean. And it just goes on and on. Death. Destruction. Murder. Mass murder- a war without cause or justification is nothing else. Those who started the war are responsible for every single death. For every single life that has been irrecovably damaged. For every tear that has fallen.
If history is a guide, those responsible for this war will never be held accountable- unless there is the sort of deity in which they claim to believe. If there is, they will discover that eternity is a very long time. But what matters most, now, is neither justice nor retribution. What matters most is that the war end. It must end. It will end. So, it ought to end as soon as possible. There is literally no reason for it not to.
If these words find their way to any federal officials, or to any who work for federal officials, I hope they will pause and think. I hope they will realize that it’s actually very simple. Someone needs to end this war. Those who do will be among the greatest heroes of our time. Those who will are out there, somewhere, right now. We’re waiting to find out who they are.
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Who might it be? Any nominations?
Yes, it will end.
Yes, most of the people responsible will not be help accountable to anywhere near the appropriate level.
Yes, it is tragic.
I like:
I know, I lose big time ‘angry lefty blogger’ street cred when I suggest at least our side tried, on 3 different occasions this week, to do something positive to end the war. We were blocked by Rebuplicans who think they too will get away with obstructionism at this time.
As to who will be the hero? Maybe nobody. In this political environment, the R’s will blame blame blame our side nonstop when the troops finally come home, and the traditional media will shrug their shoulders and say…
You know, it’s really too difficult to say who exactly to blame for our failure in Iraq. Many on the left say George Bush and Dick Cheney, but it’s really more complicated than that (blah blah blah).
And we will all have a collective shit fit.
And we will be right to do so.
But at least the troops will be home.
one of them will be POTUS in 2009. nothing will change. Get used to it. Find a way to be positive and a force for good in your local community…and I mean within a few block radius or a few miles radius of where you live. That is a realistic goal.
The Empire is grinding to a halt but it will be slow and bloody, and the ruling elites will be behind gated and Blackwater guarded walls in enclaves, or overseas in islands of imported technology and affluence before it is all over.
to end this war was rightfully elected in 2004. unfortunately, events led to him “giving up” even though the evidence pointed to his victory.
I truly believe that upon looking back some years down the road, it will be clear that the stolen election in 2004 will be viewed as far more detrimental than the stolen election in 2000…
you can not dance with the devil. They have to all stop trying to to make the insane evil that has taken power be a force that is something you deal with. It’s not, it doesn’t take a hero but a realist. This administration cannot be fought with the normal rules of political engagement because they are not within the rules of humanity let alone those of democracy. Those that deal are ceding them the right to exist and to power. They cannot if our world is to remain at all anything other then hell, we have no choice but to fight them. In order to fight them.
We cannot allow or condone any appeasement or enabling. Be it rhetorical or money or even public opinion(which oddly is ours)we cannot let them be considered as anything but what they are which is pure evil. Waiting for a hero is like waiting for Christ, we the people were the only hero and we too are obviously flawed , but my bets are once again on our inherent ability to not be as evil as the ones who rule.
but perhaps a “what” – as in an event, or some kind of proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.
When that US Marine barracks was blown up by suicide bombers in Beirut, Ronald Regan “cut and run” (one of the few wise things he did) but we never hear the ‘Pugs point that out, of course.
Obviously I hope it’s not some horrendous thing like that – it could be something totally weird like a massive earthquake for all I know…
Just sayin’ the metaphorical Superman might not show up but other kinds of events can often shape history.
Unfortunately we’ll probably live to get to see what happens from start to finish. Thanks, George.
http://harpers.org/a…
General Strike! Buy nothing on November 6, 2007.
Those responsible will likely never be held accountable.
You’re right. This war will end, but with no heros and no path, the end is likely to be accompanied by the end of life as we have known it. And I don’t mean the rapture. Keeping the war going may be keeping our “way of life” going just a little longer . . . I think we’re booby trapped. Bush implies that if and when the war is “over” (aka lost) all hell will break loose. We can’t end the war, because then we’ll have to face massive threats of death and destruction. Circular logic?