I've probably heard/read it a thousand times, but today one of John McCain's favorite juxtapositions -- used during his foreign policy speech -- got me thinking: Can "honor" only be achieved in "victory?"
"This may turn into a longer speech than you had anticipated," he joked. "And by the way, I will never surrender in Iraq. Our American troops will come home with victory and with honor."
So are we to infer that if the next president rightfully pulls our troops out of this ongoing suicide mission that they in fact come home without honor? Now, I understand the Republican dictionary (it's quite fascinating, if not nauseating); "victory" is their new favorite ambiguity, so it's easy for them to make this juxtaposition. But there's nothing ambiguous about "honor," and I dream of the day when our presidential candidate calls McCain and the Republicans on this. To even suggest that our troops -- who've been thrown into battle to sacrifice themselves without direction, without reason and without purpose -- could ever come home with anything short of honor is unimaginable.
It's damn near time Democrats start defining the terms more sharply, less our troops continue to be played by those who claim "victory" is right around the corner. Whatever corner that is.