End Mr. Bush’s War

By Mark David Blum, Esq.

All this political talk has completely thrown the issue of Iraq to the dustbin. American media and campaigns would rather focus on dying grandmothers and $150,000.00 wardrobes than soldiers rotting in the desert. Afghanistan too is seeing a massive surge in American dead and wounded. But the Afghanistan war is a just cause while Operation Iraqi Freedom is a rejected gift from the son to the father.

From the first shocking and totally awesome shot fired through today, the MarkBlum Report has kept a public record of the number of American dead and wounded in Mr. Bush’s War in Iraq. I knew then as I do now that the death toll, no matter what the final number becomes, will never be worth it. In my coming of age in America, it was always about the soldiers. They were human beings and nobody should have to die for a mistake.

All the suffering we now endure at home and abroad is directly linked to the decision to invade Iraq. The “I told you so’s” are pouring in; from Baker all the way to Hamilton, from every current and former military commander on the ground, from the current defense secretary, to the overwhelming majority of Americans who spoke loudly in the last election. More than one half a trillion dollars, tens of thousands dead, millions hurt and displaced, and America’s image now in shreds. It is time to come home.

Every morning now since the invasion, this website has updated the latest number of dead and wounded in hopes the sheer numbers themselves would have an impact on public opinion. Behind the published numbers is a link to the names, home towns, and personal biographical information of each individual soldier. Every morning, the numbers went up. The number of days where the number ‘0’ was posted can be counted on two hands.

When the first casualties fell, their names and personal information were headline news around the nation. We met their parents, their friends and neighbors, and watched the tears fall as we listened to a tale of an honorable young man who only wanted to serve his country. Today, we can barely hear the mumble of the number of daily dead and wounded from a newscaster before they rush to the latest Biden blunder or stolen campaign sign. Thanks to the media, I met Jessica Lynch, Lyndie England, and Cindy Sheehan. Yet, the faces, names, and locations were all the same. Still, every dead and wounded soldier, every wounded and broken heart was always an abstract concept to me. Yes, they were human beings and Americans and thus at a certain level, I felt and shared their pain. It is sad to learn of soldiers who do not come home; or are not whole. But they weren’t real.

The war has finally come home to me. I have come to know the people behind the faces of a handful of bodies that are among those Mr. Bush has thrown at Iraqi IEDs. Through work and play, my paths have crossed with some of those faceless grunts that clutter the news with action footage. I have met their spouses, girlfriends, and children. I have sat in their homes, drank their pisswater beer, and listened to them whine. They have become my friends and in a sense, have become my responsibility to protect and to serve.

Today, their boots no longer march on American soil but instead are kicking up sand storms in the desert. Footage thrown around on television for gawking viewers requires a hungry search for a face or an insignia. When I hear of more dead and wounded, I won’t breathe until I know an identity. Helpless am I here at home to stop the violence or end the boredom that they will face wearing that big “I am an American” bulls-eye.

Up until this year, the war was at one level, an abstract issue, to be fought on the political front. Now the war has a face and a name. My political mission and perspective has not changed an iota. Getting American soldiers onto planes and back home has moved up my priority list.

Since Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain keep moving American troops into in Iraq, it should be each of them be first to grab a weapon and stand that wall. Let their children and grandchildren, their neighbors and their children, their cousins, nieces and nephews, all pick up a weapon and get on that first plane out. Now that we know the truth about Sadaam and WMD, the current social ethnocentric realignment that is underway, and the hard finality of the Baker / Hamilton report, it defies logic and common sense to spill another droplet of American sweat in a desert that has sucked the life out of invaders for millennia.

At its core, this war is over. The battle was lost the day we defeated the enemy and encamped. We had won the War and should have packed up our toys and left. Instead, we pitched tents. From that day forth, we have become the enemy; our own worst enemy. So long as the President thinks of the war in terms of dueling bumper sticker slogans … win or surrender, stay the course or cut and run … we will never taste success. Lyndon Johnson and then Richard Nixon also felt if we just increased troop levels, we could shore up a government and build a military. Twenty some odd thousand American dead later, and we were running for our lives.

No, Mister President and no Senator McCain; the answer to Iraq is not more American dead and wounded. The solution is not a New Deal or a Big Deal, but a No Deal. Yes, the surge worked. Surging forces to save other forces exemplifies the stupidity of the entire fiasco.

Not one more boot on the ground, not one more dime spent, not one more drop of sweat or blood spilt to further this mistake of political judgment. Please Mr. President, before something happens to someone I know.

I swore an oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. Willful blindness and deliberate indifference is not just a tale wagging the dog. There is no longer any “plausible deniability” available as a defense. My Congress and Senate are clogged with political cowards who will not do their jobs.

Mister President, an honorable man will admit his mistakes, correct his errors, and accept judgment. Bring the troops home, end the war in Iraq, and go get that bastard Bin Ladin. The judgment of history and hopefully a grand jury awaits your next move.

Back to the MarkBlum Report

It is always a far better thing
to have peace than to be right.
But, when it is not,
or when all else fails

LAW OFFICES OF
MARK DAVID BLUM
P.O. Box 82
Manlius, New York 13104
Telephone: 315.420.9989
Emergency: 315.682.2901
E-mail: mdb@markblum.com

Always, at your service.

web page counters