Two Sides of the Line

There's a line drawn that divides those who opposed and those who supported military intervention in Iraq. Far on one side are the people, like the typical Democratic Underground denizen, who opposes the war no matter what the outcome. Far to their opposite, you'll find people who don't question the pro-war party line: no decision was bad in the reconstruction, and, no matter what happens, it was the right war at the right time.

Most people inhabit a place between those two extremes.

As for me, I'm a hopeful supporter. I've found myself worried about some of the decisions made, angry that it hasn't gone better, confounded by some of the difficulties we've faced, and always a little worried that the American public might start to look at every diplomatic problem as a nail to be hammered by our overwhelming military power. I supported the war because I believe that there is a chance to make a positive difference in the Middle East--to actually impact the theocratic, insular politics of a region that exports blood, violence, and death throughout the world.

I'm a supporter because I believe that more free, more liberal, and more open political entities in the Middle East will make a safer, better world. My support has always been a conditional thing, though, and that's why the thoughts expressed in Mark Brown's Sun-Time's article aren't that far from things that have gone through my own head. The only real difference is that I'm having the same thoughts from, shall we say, a slightly more hopeful place.

Maybe you're like me and have opposed the Iraq war since before the shooting started -- not to the point of joining any peace protests, but at least letting people know where you stood.

You didn't change your mind when our troops swept quickly into Baghdad or when you saw the rabble that celebrated the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue, figuring that little had been accomplished and that the tough job still lay ahead.

Despite your misgivings, you didn't demand the troops be brought home immediately afterward, believing the United States must at least try to finish what it started to avoid even greater bloodshed. And while you cheered Saddam's capture, you couldn't help but thinking I-told-you-so in the months that followed as the violence continued to spread and the death toll mounted.

By now, you might have even voted against George Bush -- a second time -- to register your disapproval.

But after watching Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong?

It's hard to swallow, isn't it?

Recently, I've batted around both sides of that thought: both "what if we were right" and "what if we were wrong" have had a place in my head.

What if we were right? The world could truly be a better place. Iraq, with a representative, peaceful government and a growing economy would put tremendous pressure on other governments in the region to change.

But what if we were wrong? It's crossed your mind, I'm sure. What if we were wrong? Not only the lives and the money lost, but the years of wasted effort and the expense of diplomatic capital, too. The damage to our credibility in the world, and the damage to our ability to pull together a coalition of countries to help us in our efforts, would be tremendous.

I've never stopped supporting, and I've never stopped hoping, but there is always a little niggling doubt in the back of my mind: what if we were wrong?

The vote on Sunday was a partial vindication--good news that, hopefully, leads to even more good news in the near future. It doesn't ensure a happy ending, but it exists as a good indicator that we're heading in the right direction.

I honor Brown's honesty (and his idea of penance), although I'm sure there are enough hard days ahead that most of the anti-war left will be able to justify their arguments. There's nothing easy about war, and certainly nothing easy about Iraq. From both sides of that little line, though, anybody who can push aside the partisan sniping has to admit: things got a little bit brighter this last Sunday.

Good for all of us.

Read the story.

Posted by zombyboy at February 2, 2005 12:10 AM