John McCain was a prisoner of war who was tortured and refused early release. We know that. He was shot down while bombing a third world country which didn't get the memo that they had no idea what was best for them. We know that too, although it's hardly polite conversation.
As much as I detest McCain's mission (for example, has anyone ever asked John McCain how many successful bombing runs he had? And how many people he thinks he may have killed? And many of those people were civilians? And what gave his government the right to murder foreigners in their own land for discrepancies in economic dogma?) ...as much as I detest the mission, I sincerely respect what this man gave to his country.
When McCain was taken prisoner, the relative merits of his mission, which in all due fairness he had no say over, were irrelevant. What became relevant then was the man. And the man proved his greatness. Pay no mind to anyone who would deny the singular courage and dignity of this man.
But, he's a warmonger. The reason so many people who hate the Iraq War will vote for McCain is because so many of us have this unspoken compact that it's okay to be a warmonger if you've suffered in a war. I dispute that premise.
Many warmongers have never been to war. Others have been (Gore, Kerry) but not really suffered years of torment (McCain). But their views about the relative merits of current wars must be judged without giving a huge handicap in some misguided and misplaced lurch for reverence.
McCain is wrong on Iraq. Dead wrong. And that's all that matters now. Could the young civilian know more than the old wizened war hero? In this case, yes. Life is crazy like that. Obama was right. McCain was wrong. Period.
One of the best anecdotes in the universe (I urge all to apply this to all sorts of situations) has to do with writing in space. During the space race, the Americans and the Soviets obviously had to learn how to write cleanly and efficiently without gravity.
The Americans tried in vain, and at great expense, to invent an ink that was somehow impervious to a lack of gravity. The Soviets? They used pencils.
Experience often gives people an excuse to overthink things that aren't nearly as complicated as their narcissism wants them to believe. I've payed a price for that piece of wisdom. I imagine many of us have.
McCain says we can't leave while there's violence. So, we can't leave while we're getting shot at. He also says that when we stop getting shot at, that will make it safe enough to stay for 100 years. So, we can't leave after we stop getting shot at.
In other words, McCain is telling the world, and the Iraqi people, that the United States will never leave Iraq, unless the universe invents a category not covered by either "getting shot at" or "not getting shot at".
The anti-American forces, however, know full well that there is a breaking point for Americans; there is a point where we will retreat, even under fire. McCain having just informed America's enemies that it won't even leave if there's peace, has every imaginable motive for war.
Somehow, despite years in a Vietnamese prison, McCain never accepted the reality that people can reject American presence and violence and interference without necessarily aiming to take over the world. Leaving people alone is the safest option 9 times out of 10.
McCain doesn't understand that. That doesn't mean he's not brave, and it doesn't mean that Obama's a strategic genius. It just means that some people never learn. And McCain, we can all agree, is a bit to old to learn on the job.
As much as I detest McCain's mission (for example, has anyone ever asked John McCain how many successful bombing runs he had? And how many people he thinks he may have killed? And many of those people were civilians? And what gave his government the right to murder foreigners in their own land for discrepancies in economic dogma?) ...as much as I detest the mission, I sincerely respect what this man gave to his country.
When McCain was taken prisoner, the relative merits of his mission, which in all due fairness he had no say over, were irrelevant. What became relevant then was the man. And the man proved his greatness. Pay no mind to anyone who would deny the singular courage and dignity of this man.
But, he's a warmonger. The reason so many people who hate the Iraq War will vote for McCain is because so many of us have this unspoken compact that it's okay to be a warmonger if you've suffered in a war. I dispute that premise.
Many warmongers have never been to war. Others have been (Gore, Kerry) but not really suffered years of torment (McCain). But their views about the relative merits of current wars must be judged without giving a huge handicap in some misguided and misplaced lurch for reverence.
McCain is wrong on Iraq. Dead wrong. And that's all that matters now. Could the young civilian know more than the old wizened war hero? In this case, yes. Life is crazy like that. Obama was right. McCain was wrong. Period.
One of the best anecdotes in the universe (I urge all to apply this to all sorts of situations) has to do with writing in space. During the space race, the Americans and the Soviets obviously had to learn how to write cleanly and efficiently without gravity.
The Americans tried in vain, and at great expense, to invent an ink that was somehow impervious to a lack of gravity. The Soviets? They used pencils.
Experience often gives people an excuse to overthink things that aren't nearly as complicated as their narcissism wants them to believe. I've payed a price for that piece of wisdom. I imagine many of us have.
McCain says we can't leave while there's violence. So, we can't leave while we're getting shot at. He also says that when we stop getting shot at, that will make it safe enough to stay for 100 years. So, we can't leave after we stop getting shot at.
In other words, McCain is telling the world, and the Iraqi people, that the United States will never leave Iraq, unless the universe invents a category not covered by either "getting shot at" or "not getting shot at".
The anti-American forces, however, know full well that there is a breaking point for Americans; there is a point where we will retreat, even under fire. McCain having just informed America's enemies that it won't even leave if there's peace, has every imaginable motive for war.
Somehow, despite years in a Vietnamese prison, McCain never accepted the reality that people can reject American presence and violence and interference without necessarily aiming to take over the world. Leaving people alone is the safest option 9 times out of 10.
McCain doesn't understand that. That doesn't mean he's not brave, and it doesn't mean that Obama's a strategic genius. It just means that some people never learn. And McCain, we can all agree, is a bit to old to learn on the job.
No comments:
Post a Comment