Were I to be honest with myself, the answer is not much. Yes, we're at war, and I realize that this news flash will take no one by surprise. I support the war, not because I am pro-war, but because I am anti-evil. I agree that this is the right thing to do and it is the right time to do it, but I am profoundly saddened that we find ourselves at this point.
I've mentioned before that I have some profoundly mixed feelings about war. Having historically been a pacifist, I have struggled to reconcile my belief in non-violence with the necessity to rid the world of the evil that is the Iraqi regime. It's not an easy reconciliation to come to. I understand that sometimes overwhelming evil recognizes only one threat and respects only one thing- military might sufficient to separate it from political power. We are clearly at that point.
I've decided that I'm not going to waste my time and energy ruminating over the correctness of this war. Regardless of what I or anyone might think, war is now a tangible reality. The only question is what the aftermath will look like. Besides, many smarter and more agile minds will devote untold numbers of column inches to dissecting the US war effort. That's great if you want to establish a reputation as a pundit, I suppose, but it impresses me as just so much mental masturbation. Whether we like it or not, war is here. Deal with the reality, and stop your whining. Nothing anyone says will change that- no matter how brilliantly constructed your argument may be.
I, like many of us, will be glued to the television, hoping for the best and trying not to fear the worst. Nationalism, xenophobia, and jingosim aside, sometimes doing the right thing means swimming upstream. If our credibility depends on have the UN's stamp of approval, we're all in trouble. Let's do what needs to be done and get the hell out of Dodge.
I am a Liberal Democrat, and I would sooner be burned at the stake than cast a vote for George W. Bush. He stole his way into office, and has proceeded to hypocritically wrap himself in the protective mantle of his Fundamentalist Christian faith. Be that as it may, he is the one who has had to make the ultimate decistion to commit our sons and daughters to combat, and I do not envy him that responsibility. I may detest everything the man stands for (and I DO), but I'm not going to use this war to advance my own political agenda. There will be a time and place for that, and it will be after we are once again at peace.
May good fortune and good training keep and preserve our men and women in arms.
