Daily Egyptian Editorial 05
Sponsored by 710 BookStore - - - http://www.seventen.com/DE Columnist: Iraq worse than Vietnam?
Iraq worse than Vietnam?
Lenie Adolphson
Newspaper headlines are proclaiming that Iraq is on the verge of civil war. It's official, the war in Iraq is a catastrophe and everyone knows it.
Public opinion polls confirm that most Americans believe the war in Iraq was a monumental blunder. I agree with John Murtha who argues that our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. We need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis and bring the troops home.
Iraq has become everything that critics, protestors and pundits predicted. However, for those who believe that this is hyperbolic posturing, let us look at the facts. The run-up to the war was a pack of lies. Anyone who challenged the justification for the war was considered at best naãve and at worst traitorous. War protestors encountered a great deal of hostility. Now we know the Bush administration got everything wrong. Everyone now realizes there were no weapons of mass destruction and there was no connection between Iraq and the Sept. 11 attacks - the last excuse left in the arsenal was capturing the tyrannical Saddam Hussein. Yet, currently, that excuse seems somewhat ridiculous when it is obvious that there are other despots and dictators who roam free and enjoy the high life.
The financial cost to the American public is obscene. Because of the spending on the war in Iraq - education, social services and other important needs languish. At present, it is clear Iraq has deteriorated and is quickly developing into a civil war.
The administration created the impression that capturing Saddam Hussein would magically create a panacea and Iraq would be magically transformed into a Mecca of goodwill and peace. The war hawks affirmed that Iraq would be the "centerpiece of Middle Eastern democracy." Since President Bush declared, "mission accomplished," it is obvious that it has dissolved into "mission impossible."
Sharp shooter Dick Cheney said Americans would be "greeted as liberators." Still, the war continues to deepen.
Deaths and injuries are mounting with over 2,294 confirmed American deaths. Over 15,500 have been seriously injured. There have been reports of at least 30,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. Yet, there are still politicians who are repeating the same tired, stale rhetoric of "stay the course" and "we can't lose Iraq." Ironically, during the Vietnam War politicians echoed the same language.
According to Veterans for Peace, the U.S. death toll in Iraq has exceeded the number of American soldiers killed during the first three years of the Vietnam War, a combined 392 casualties from 1962 through 1964 when American troop levels in Indochina stood at just over 17,000.
During the Vietnam War, students stood up, protested, and challenged their leaders to end the war. Currently, we as students should exercise the courage and convictions of the brave and fiery students of the 1960s. The question is, will we answer the call?
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Copyright 2009 Daily Egyptian Editorial 05