Most of you probably know by now that Andrew Bacevich, Viet Nam war veteran, Iraq War critic and author of the book “How Americans Are Seduced by War,” lost his only son in Iraq on Mother’s Day this year.
I recently heard a short interview with Bacevich on NPR and was moved by this quote:
What kind of democracy is this when people speak, and the people’s voice is unambiguous, and nothing happens?
Yesterday in an editorial in the Washington Post Bacevich expounded on this theme (h/t to sbj in Brenda Stewart’s diary Memorial Day). I think Bacevich’s analysis, thoughts and feelings are a profound statement about where we are this Memorial Day.
What exactly is a father’s duty when his son is sent into harm’s way?
Among the many ways to answer that question, mine was this one: As my son was doing his utmost to be a good soldier, I strove to be a good citizen.
As a citizen, I have tried since Sept. 11, 2001, to promote a critical understanding of U.S. foreign policy…
Not for a second did I expect my own efforts to make a difference. But I did nurse the hope that my voice might combine with those of others — teachers, writers, activists and ordinary folks — to educate the public about the folly of the course on which the nation has embarked. I hoped that those efforts might produce a political climate conducive to change. I genuinely believed that if the people spoke, our leaders in Washington would listen and respond.
This, I can now see, was an illusion.
The people have spoken, and nothing of substance has changed.
He then goes on to hold both the Bush administration AND the Democrats responsible for not listening to the people because…
Money buys access and influence. Money greases the process that will yield us a new president in 2008. When it comes to Iraq, money ensures that the concerns of big business, big oil, bellicose evangelicals and Middle East allies gain a hearing. By comparison, the lives of U.S. soldiers figure as an afterthought.
In closing, I’ll just add one more powerful voice who also, in my mind, correctly analyzes the nature of our situation today…Al Gore in an editorial this week in The Guardian:
The pursuit of “dominance” in foreign policy led the Bush administration to ignore the UN, to do serious damage to our most important alliances, to violate international law, and to cultivate the hatred and contempt of many in the rest of the world. The seductive appeal of exercising unconstrained unilateral power led this president to interpret his powers under the constitution in a way that brought to life the worst nightmare of the founders.
Its no news to anyone here that our democracy is in serious peril – if not already lost. I just think we need to really wake up to the truths these two men are speaking and align our actions with the reality we are facing.
