So we have ourselves a primary this week. If we're to believe the gushing of
Chris Matthews, the eyes of the world will focus on Connecticut as voters express their support or dissent for the war. The entire primary, according to Matthews, is "a vote on the Iraq war."
When Ned Lamont first entered the race, he was labeled an "anti-war candidate" because he challenged Joe Lieberman on his unfailing support for our failed policy in Iraq. That meme has certainly stuck, and here we are, on the cusp of what was never supposed to be a competitive primary, with the media labeling it as a referendum on the war.
Of course, the war has taken center stage in this race, and after the election, the pundits will pounce to label the outcome as a loss or win for the "anti-war wing of the Democratic party."
It's funny isn't it, how war--one of the few instances where talk of life and death isn't hyperbole--is cast as a single, monolithic issue.
War--particularly this war--is a hungry monster, one which from the first frame of shock and awe has sunk its tentacles into almost every facet of our society. How convenient it is to mention "war" as a highly compartmentalized concept. How easy it is to utter that word--war--as if its poison didn't permeate our everyday lives. I see the word "war" tossed around lightly, but every time, it falls to the ground like a ton of bricks, weighed down by consequences both foreseen and unforeseen.
Yeah, I'm "anti-war." But unpack that phrase, unveil its connotations. You say I'm simply anti-war. I say I'm pro-life. Pro-common sense. Pro-logic.
I'm anti-deficit. I'm for spending 1 to 2 trillion on schools, or cures, or poverty, not bombs and bullets and bloodshed. Just a personal preference, you see.
When it comes to Iraq, yeah, I'm anti-war. You see, I'm against making fools out of ourselves on the international stage. I'm for not pissing off millions across the globe and them wondering why the hell they burn American flags and hate us.
I'm anti-war. And pro-family. I'm for mothers. And fathers. And sons and daughters. I'm for Americans, and I believe they shouldn't be left in the desert to drown in the quicksands of a nation we were never supposed to invade just because this administration has performed such a neat trick in masquerading cowardice as bravery. I'm for preventing another 9/11, not planting the seeds for another attack.
I'm for accountability in defense contracts. I'm for a strong economy that isn't built on the backs of war profiteers.
I'm for the National Guard guarding this nation, not a foreign one. I'm for not having thousands in my generation suffering from PTSD.
And hey, I'm for the very simple concept of not blowing innocent people up.
That, my friends, is just a sampling of what that teeny tiny phrase, "anti-war" entails.
War affects everything. It is a single issue, but it is every issue.
I don't know how the primary will turn out. But I know that votes cast one way or another weigh much heavier than Matthews and others imply. For Tuesday's vote is not just a vote for Lieberman or Lamont, for or against the war. It's a vote affecting every corner of our nation and our lives.
So, good luck to Lamont. A man who's "anti-war", and so much more.
