"We will finish the work ofthe fallen"
-- George W. Bush
President of the United States
"Sadly, Peter's life was taken by an ungrateful people and for a cause that has lost all meaning."
-- Shannon Enos of Dartmouth, whose husband, Army Spc. Peter Enos, was killed in Iraq
PRESIDENT Bush makes the case for war by linking a purely political goal to the flesh and blood of American soldiers. That was the most compelling part of this week's too-rare presidential press conference, and it buys Bush time . . . unless more Americans and especially more families of the fallen begin to echo Shannon Enos.
What Enos told the media after her husband's death could run as a tragic and bitter caption to the photographs and video out of Iraq. If there are Iraqis who still welcome Americans as liberators, they are not within camera range. The photographs show people of that country reveling in death, celebrating the macabre, grinning as they wield the remnants of American boots and body parts.
It is sickening and "gut-wrenching," as Bush said during the press conference. Are the photos truth or enemy propaganda? They are both, and that is the dilemma for supporters and opponents of this war.
The pictures may distort the feelings of the majority, but they do not lie. Unless some Iraqis step up and show support for this American occupation, it is hard to look at the country and see a principle or a person worth dying for.
At the same time, it is clear that the kidnappings, killings, and mutilations are being carried out for the reason Bush stated: "They want us to run." As propaganda, it is cruel, brilliant, and potentially successful.
In the precede to his Q&A with the press, Bush stated: "In forums where Iraqis have met to discuss their political future and in all the proceedings of the Iraqi Governing Council, Iraqis have expressed clear commitments. They want strong protections for individual rights, they want their independence, and they want their freedom."
What forums? Which Iraqis? The average American longs to see one citizen of that country stand up in the middle of this recent madness and express a desire for democracy and independence. Demonstrating gratitude for America's effort to help attain those goals would also be nice. Ours is a society used to being emulated and appreciated. If Iraqis don't consider us heroic, how can we believe it of ourselves? Without some show of support from somewhere in Iraq, we are left with Shannon Enos's sad conclusion of "an ungrateful people" and "a cause that has lost all meaning."
Bush's overall performance during the press conference was uneven. He did not answer several key questions: Why must he testify before the 9/11 commission with Vice President Dick Cheney at his side? What actions, if any, did he take after the Aug. 6, 2001, briefing about Osama bin Laden and his determination to attack the United States? Some questions elicited painful-to-watch presidential rambling, mirrored by pained expressions on the faces of White House chief of staff Andy Card, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, and political adviser Karl Rove.
But when it came to explaining his view of the American mission in Iraq, Bush was strong.
"It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny," he said. "And yet, we must stay the course because the end result is in our country's interest. A secure and free Iraq is an historic opportunity to change the world and make America more secure. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have incredible change."
In an opinion piece published April 13 in The Washington Post, John Kerry, Bush's Democratic opponent, wrote: "While we may have differed on how we went to war, Americans of all political persuasions are united in our desire to succeed. Our country is committed to help the Iraqis build a stable, peaceful, and pluralistic society. No matter who is elected president in November, we will persevere in that mission." If Kerry means what he wrote, the November election will decide whether Bush or Kerry will finish the work of the fallen -- not whether it will be finished or whether all the families of the fallen believe in the cause.
Joan Vennochi, 4/15/2004 Boston Globe.
-- George W. Bush
President of the United States
"Sadly, Peter's life was taken by an ungrateful people and for a cause that has lost all meaning."
-- Shannon Enos of Dartmouth, whose husband, Army Spc. Peter Enos, was killed in Iraq
PRESIDENT Bush makes the case for war by linking a purely political goal to the flesh and blood of American soldiers. That was the most compelling part of this week's too-rare presidential press conference, and it buys Bush time . . . unless more Americans and especially more families of the fallen begin to echo Shannon Enos.
What Enos told the media after her husband's death could run as a tragic and bitter caption to the photographs and video out of Iraq. If there are Iraqis who still welcome Americans as liberators, they are not within camera range. The photographs show people of that country reveling in death, celebrating the macabre, grinning as they wield the remnants of American boots and body parts.
It is sickening and "gut-wrenching," as Bush said during the press conference. Are the photos truth or enemy propaganda? They are both, and that is the dilemma for supporters and opponents of this war.
The pictures may distort the feelings of the majority, but they do not lie. Unless some Iraqis step up and show support for this American occupation, it is hard to look at the country and see a principle or a person worth dying for.
At the same time, it is clear that the kidnappings, killings, and mutilations are being carried out for the reason Bush stated: "They want us to run." As propaganda, it is cruel, brilliant, and potentially successful.
In the precede to his Q&A with the press, Bush stated: "In forums where Iraqis have met to discuss their political future and in all the proceedings of the Iraqi Governing Council, Iraqis have expressed clear commitments. They want strong protections for individual rights, they want their independence, and they want their freedom."
What forums? Which Iraqis? The average American longs to see one citizen of that country stand up in the middle of this recent madness and express a desire for democracy and independence. Demonstrating gratitude for America's effort to help attain those goals would also be nice. Ours is a society used to being emulated and appreciated. If Iraqis don't consider us heroic, how can we believe it of ourselves? Without some show of support from somewhere in Iraq, we are left with Shannon Enos's sad conclusion of "an ungrateful people" and "a cause that has lost all meaning."
Bush's overall performance during the press conference was uneven. He did not answer several key questions: Why must he testify before the 9/11 commission with Vice President Dick Cheney at his side? What actions, if any, did he take after the Aug. 6, 2001, briefing about Osama bin Laden and his determination to attack the United States? Some questions elicited painful-to-watch presidential rambling, mirrored by pained expressions on the faces of White House chief of staff Andy Card, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, and political adviser Karl Rove.
But when it came to explaining his view of the American mission in Iraq, Bush was strong.
"It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny," he said. "And yet, we must stay the course because the end result is in our country's interest. A secure and free Iraq is an historic opportunity to change the world and make America more secure. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have incredible change."
In an opinion piece published April 13 in The Washington Post, John Kerry, Bush's Democratic opponent, wrote: "While we may have differed on how we went to war, Americans of all political persuasions are united in our desire to succeed. Our country is committed to help the Iraqis build a stable, peaceful, and pluralistic society. No matter who is elected president in November, we will persevere in that mission." If Kerry means what he wrote, the November election will decide whether Bush or Kerry will finish the work of the fallen -- not whether it will be finished or whether all the families of the fallen believe in the cause.
Joan Vennochi, 4/15/2004 Boston Globe.
