Posted: 3/7/07
Final Draft - by Cliff Buchan
What will it take to get war debate?
Four years ago there were not many among us who were strongly opposed to the Iraq War. Some did not like the idea but most felt the reasons for invading Iraq were justified.
The horrors of the 9/11 attacks were still fresh in our minds. We lived in a society that would take almost any steps to protect our nation, even if it involved surrendering personal liberties or invading another country.
Perhaps we acted too fast four years ago. Perhaps we didn’t listen carefully enough to those who raised the red flags.
What has happened has happened and there is no going back on that. The past can’t be changed.
But one thing needs to be done soon.
It is time for a national debate on this war.
Many would conclude that the November elections sent a clear message to our national leaders that this debate needs to take place now. It is clear that the message never reached home.
For those supporting the war, there is firm resistance to any real change in course. The January decision by President Bush to increase troop levels takes the conflict in a new direction. For the most part, Republicans have remained in lock-step behind this new Bush plan. There have been some dissidents, but not many.
The Democrats? Although the Dems took power on the strength of strong public opposition to the war, they have gone meekly to their corner, not willing to push hard lines on the war. While some bluster loudly about the war and how wrong it is, not many of the Dems are seriously interested in actions that would make them appear weak on the war and troop support.
While the Republicans are stampeded by its hard-right core, the Democrats show weakness by the very lack of actions.
Caught in the middle of this political nightmare are the troops. It is because of the troops that this national debate must follow.
No matter the political label that is pinned on the back of politicians and citizens, troop support is a must. While the military received disrespectful public support in the Vietnam War, that has not been the case with Iraq and Afghanistan. The performance of our military has been exemplary and its performance on the battlefield historic.
It’s the troops who are coming home with battle wounds that demand the public debate on this war. New revelations of the shoddy treatment of wounded troops at Walter Reed Hospital are developing into a major scandal.
And the disgrace goes deeper into the country with additional reports that the entire VA Hospital system is fraught with serious problems.
That in itself is a problem for all vets who need the VA for medical help. It is worse for wounded Iraq War vets who eventually end up needing VA help near their homes. The system is failing many who need help.
The VA and Walter Reed scandals cry out for the debate. How the debate is accomplished, however, is yet to be determined.
In a perfect world, Congressional leaders from both political parties would come together for meaningful oversight hearings that need to take place. This should not be a political front but a front that objectively attempts to get to the bottom of the issues.
It is something the public needs to know. It is something the troops deserve, too.
The hearings and debates should not only look at the medical issues, but dig deeper into how this nation was led into war in the first place and how this war was carried out.
If the treatment of wounded vets on the homeland is any indication, it is clear we were trying to get by on the cheap and were in no way prepared for what was to come.
The only way Congressional leaders will respond is with continued pressure from the public.
It can be done if we put down the TV remote long enough to forget about idols and island survivors and what happens to Anna Nicole’s baby and body. It is time for the public to stop using that remote to avoid the reality of what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Do it for the men and women of the military who go willfully to war in the service of their country.
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