I have been thinking more all the time of my college days when the Vietnam war was in full flow--trying to figure out how much different this war really is. If you don't want to read more about Iraq war, now is the time to bail out.
We are probably at a slightly different stage in the process--Circa 1968-1972 was what, 7 years or more after the US got involved in Vietnam. The troop levels were higher, the body counts were higher, there was a draft and an active anti-war movement going on. It was "communists" that threatened the world then instead of "terrusts" (yeah, I know it's misspelled). Like this war, there were really two stages of folly; getting involved in the first place, then staying involved because there really isn't any good way out. The tar-baby phenomenon. As soon as you touch it, you are stuck to it.
More on the flip
Maybe I could go further back and say that there are actually three successive stages of stupidity involved with this one--the first stage was when we let GWBush become president. I knew from the very first moment he was mentioned as a candidate that he was going to be elected (well, "elected" as it turned out), and that the scandals and stupidity of his administration would dwarf anything Bill Clinton ever did. I really wanted to get the next impeachment process started then, but it never took hold. Well, maybe until now.
The second stage was actually starting the war. Until then, there was no reason to have troops in Iraq. 911 should have been pursued by law enforcement methods. This war was not associated with terrorism until after it started. Period.
Then we (well, actually, THEY--I refuse any blame) touched the tar baby, and hence everything else. A partial list--
--Outrageous lies to justify the war
--Ad hominem attacks on anyone who disagreed with the adminstration,
or who exposed the lies
--The whole Valerie Plame/Karl Rove thing
--Antagonizing most of the middle east, on the basis of race, religion, AND
natonalism. An incredible grand slam there...
--The military committed to a treadmill of sending everyone they can find to
Iraq for the forseeable future. Depletion of the morale,
infrastructure, munitions, equipment--basically everything to do with
the military because the administration isn't willing to pay the full
cost of the war; even with borrowed money.
--The obscene policy of stop loss. I can't express how much it pissed
me off to be treated unfairly like that, and to be led (not the right
word--ordered is more accurate) by idiots who don't have the
knowledge or sensitivity to treat their people fairly.
--The meme that anyone who doesn't support the war is bad, wrong, not
supporting the troops, not a patriot, and probably a traitor to the
USA. Goddammit--where do these people get off deciding who owns the
country and who is here on sufferance?
--Torture. Illegal detention. Violating the Geneva conventions. The
Patriot Act. Small minded people re-interpreting the constitution and
the bill of rights to their own benefit. Plus, of course, the usual
cronyism, money scandals, influence peddling--all bad enough, but hardly
to be mentioned in the same breath as violating the constitution and
international law.
OK, so things are different since the war started. We're in it now, so the rationalization is that we have to finish it; even though it was wrong to start the war, it would be wrong to just quit. I accept that. It's true. The trouble is that continuing the war won't help anything, because we can't win it now. We lost the war at Abu Graib. When the truth about the US occupation came out, when the veniality and stupidity of the execution of the war and occupation was revealed, we lost all possibility of ever being in the right, of ever winning the "hearts and minds," of anything good ever coming of the occupation. It's going to keep getting worse, and there is nothing that the US can do about that any more. We can continue to lose this war, but we can't win it.
So. What do I thing the US should do? In my honest opinion, the war in Iraq is not the main problem now. The main thing the country needs is a new president. Competent leadership. Someone who will give the nation's problems some objective thought and attention. Someone honest, if possible, although that's probably too much to ask. We are going in the wrong direction on a lot of things, and the war is only one symptom. This presidential adminstration and their supporters and cronies are still making things worse, and they will continue to do so as long as they have the opportunity. Get them out. All of them, please.
To answer my own question about this war compared to Vietnam. Is this different? I think it is, and I think it's worse now. The body counts aren't as high yet. But Vietnam got worse over time. And at the time, it seemed to make sense to me somehow; that we needed to be there for some reason. That feeling doesn't come to me now.
One more thing, while I have this typing energy going on. There are going to be nuclear weapons in the middle east countries soon. We can't stop that now, because it has become so clearly in the interests of other countries to have nukes. It's the only way to get respect from the USA now. Sad to say.