Helplessness and the Iraq War

Written by: Michael Hays on Aug 3, 2007 11:11 PM EDT

Iraq reached 117 degrees the other day, and families across the war-ravaged nation went for another day without reliable, clean water and dependable electricity.

Some children acquire diarrhea even after their parents boil the water.

Back on the home front, “war fatigue” is settling over many Americans. As I watched C-SPAN last month, several callers spoke about their collective feeling of helplessness. They oppose the war but see no way to change its course.

John Lennon once told us, “War is over, if you want it.” Well, two-thirds of Americans want it. A majority of Democrats in Congress and a growing handful of Republicans desire to extricate American troops out of the Arabian sands of hell. What does it say about our democracy when actions made in our names – with our money – continue because the Bush administration refuses to acknowledge its failures in Iraq?

How many more pictures of crying mothers at their babies’ funerals can one tolerate? As American troop deaths approach the 4,000 mark (3,662 as of early August), and with over 27,000 soldiers wounded, citizens wonder when our service members are coming home for good.

Can one administration – one man – really wield this much power?

Last Thursday about 150 Pennsylvanians attended an anti-war rally in downtown Philadelphia. Bush spoke at the Marriott during a private breakfast for conservative legislators. It is unknown if George W. heard the pounding of empty water jugs or the bellows of pissed-off people. It is unlikely that chants for peace disrupted anyone at the conference as they forked another heaping of eggs into their mouth.

One woman outside carried a picture of her deceased son, killed during duty in Iraq. By 10:30 a.m. on July 26 Bush’s motorcade had ferried him out of Philadelphia, strategically avoiding corners of Market and Filbert streets where many protesters had gathered.

This president’s public appearances are symbolic of his relationship with Americans. He operates extremely close to his inner-circle, where dissent and cynicism are not tolerated. We, the people, see him on television and read about his actions/inaction in newspapers but are unable to really address the man in charge. We seemingly can’t tug at the King’s robe.

In short, Bush is in a bubble where accountability to his constituents is nil. The legacy of this president, in my opinion, will be his disregard for both the truth and constitutional principles. While our Constitution is rooted in the separate of powers between Congress, the White House, and the judiciary, Bush increasingly cites “executive privilege” to avoid testimony by his staff on-the-record. Officials also refuse to release subpoenaed documents under this controversial veil.

Have “we” lost the power our Founding Fathers envisioned?

As I toured the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia the other day, I could only wonder how history will one day treat President George W. Bush. The corridors of the impressive building mention Sen. Joe McCarthy’s Cold War-era assault on civil liberties, Pres. Nixon’s Watergate cover-up and other embarrassing moments in America’s past.

History does weave a common story into our quilted timeline: when leaders ignore the will of the people and abuse power, we all lose. Today, Iraqis are losing even worse.

The writer is a freelance journalist from Lansdale.

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