Granted that a nation of 200 million people of diverse backgrounds does not readily arrive at a wise consensus, it nevertheless is reckless for any administration to treat the members of Congress as dupes to be fed false information in order to gain their acquiescence. The degree to which the military and diplomatic leaders should share the truth with those whom the nation has chosen as its representatives is a grave problem for the future.
We must also face the consequences of the war upon our own people. If the Iraqis have been cruel in reprisals, a growing number of young Americans have also developed callous and bloody ways, as revealed at Abu Ghraib and in other "incidents." Also, in the sterile boredom of their lives, many in the armed forces have become drug addicts. Furthermore, because of the financial burden of the war, this prosperous nation lacks the wherewithal to deal with its own domestic problems, to remake the ghettos and to spend enough on health and education for coming generations.
Going back further, the Pentagon documents remove any romanticism about our relation with Nouri al-Maliki. We were responsible for installing him as ruler in Iraq, and we made a most unfortunate choice. Instead of trying to unify the country, he deliberately estranged the Sunnis.
There's an interesting thing about the above thoughts. I didn't write them. I tweaked nine names, but the rest -- every word -- was written earlier.
In fact, they were written 37 years ago.
The above, word-for-word, was written by the great Illinois senator Paul Douglas, in his autobiography, In the Fullness of Time. It was published in 1971.
The only words I changed were "Iraqis" for Vietnamese, Abu Ghraib for "My Lai," Nouri al-Maliki for "Ngo Dinh Diem," Iraq for "South Vietnam" and Sunnis for "Buddhists." Every other word was verbatim from the eminent Senator Douglas.
37 years ago.
Anyone still twisting in knots while trying desperately to contend that Iraq is not another Vietnam can finally save your breath. Conserve your energy. Use it for something more productive like, say, smacking your head with a dish rag.
Actually, Paul Douglas's words about Vietnam go further, in ways even more prescient and eerily familiar. He immediately continues:
"Most disillusioning was the memorandum by Assistant Secretary of Defense John T. McNaughton in which he ascribed the aims of the Pentagon as: '70% -- To avoid a humiliating U.S. defeat (to our reputation as a guarantor). 20% -- To keep SVN [South Vietnam] (and the adjacent) territory from Chinese hands. 10% -- To permit the people of SVN to enjoy a better, freer way of life.' This is a direct contradiction of our country's official claims."
There is a renowned quote by George Santayana. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Welcome to the repeat. It's not like the first-run was all that great shakes, of course.
Let's see. Paul Douglas's assessment from the past of today's aims of the U.S. government for staying in Iraq is once again spot-on:
70% - To avoid a humiliating U.S. defeat. 20% - To keep Iraq (and the adjacent) territories from Iranian and extremist hands. 10% - To permit the people of Iraq to enjoy a better, freer way of life. "This is a direct contradiction of our country's official claims."
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Welcome to the repeat.
President George W. Bush likes to regularly exclaim that history will determine how his Iraq decisions are viewed. Unfortunately for Mr. Bush, history already has judged. Just read Senator Douglas's words from 37 years ago.
And by the way, as much as President Bush likes to leave judgment to "history," what he's continually, mistakenly referring to is actually the future. This isn't semantics, it's a crucial distinction. The future is unknown. But we learn from history. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat it.
As much as neocons like to strut that they don't live in the reality-based world and instead create their own reality -- actual reality has its own thoughts about that and will always rear its head. You may create your own reality where you can blissfully walk across a chasm, but when actual reality notices the instant you step off the ledge, it will send you plummeting to a crashing doom.
Reality has spoken. History has spoken.
What Paul Douglas wrote in 1971 about the disaster of Vietnam is breathtaking in the full scope of its direct application to life today.
It is reckless for the administration, military and diplomats to feed Congress false information.
There are consequences of our actions in a distant war on our own people.
Unsupportable conditions lead soldiers develop callous and bloody ways.
The financial burden of war creates domestic problems in health and education.
When we install our own, wrong leader in a country, it inflames the situation.
To ignore these issues is a grave problem for the future.
Written in 1971. To ignore these issues is "a grave problem for the future."
Welcome to the future.
Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
And repeat it word for word.