The weblog, Back In Iraq, links to a story today on the BBC with the headline, Iraq’s Mass Graves Could Hold 300,000 Victims. A number like 300,000 is difficult to imagine. These people, for the most part, did nothing to deserve an untimely death other than simply living in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite this massacre of innocents, many polticians and otherwise fairly intelligent people continue to oppose our efforts in Iraq.
The bloodshed of innocents has stopped, yet guys like Howard Dean still hold the following position,
Incredibly, Dean has a great deal of popular support. Even if you agree with Dean on other positions, how could you possibly support a person that callously disregards innocent victims? If Dean and other people like this had their way, the suffering and killing would still be happening. (Many politicians hide behind the position that they didn't oppose intervention in Iraq, only that they wanted to work with the UN. This is essentially the same result as opposing intervention since it was apparent to all but the most feeble-minded that the UN would never actually take any meaningful action.)
Anti-war protesters are busy
accusing President Bush of being a hateful war monger while he is visiting the UK. They often cite the ongoing tragic deaths and injury of American and other soldiers as a reason to oppose the war. However, when you compare our current casualties with any other armed conflict, Iraq pales by comparison. 61 million people died in WWII and this war is no less noble.
Howard Dean is free to express his opposition to this war. If he is successful in winning the election, I wonder about a nation that so easily sanctions the killing of innocent life just because those people don't live in the right place and have the power of a vote. Not only will history judge us for our lack of moral character, but our terrorist enemies will see a window of opportunity and descend on our country like never before. Only through the power of our votes can we keep headlines like, " 300,000 Victims in Mass Grave" from happening again. In November 2004, I would urge you to remember the short-sightedness of the anti-war position.