Junto Boys

WHY THE ANTI-WAR CRITICISM RINGS HOLLOW

Of the people who don’t want this war a late question that I have heard is “why are we going into Iraq for human rights violations when we have allies that have terrible records on human rights issues?” Well the fact is, we’re not going because of Saddam’s human rights infractions. If we started going around the world to get rid of every despot, it would take several administrations, and cause us to be in conflict with countries that are otherwise friendly with us.

We have to settle on those countries that are threats to our well-being that we can take down now. The human rights arguments are strictly for the appeasers on the left that would put American lives in danger for operations like Haiti and Bosnia. Those missions were for the purpose of helping people in repressive regimes, and Iraq is just as repressive.

Republicans thought that Democrats were serious about human rights violations or at least wouldn’t argue because it would meet their usual stated purpose as well. In this mission they learned something very interesting about the left. It’s not really about the people at all. It’s really about the liberal do-gooders. It’s about their compassion. What good is going into Iraq to rescue oppressed people if they don’t get credit for it?

The fact that there is a strategic American reason for defeating Iraq, also calls the whole thing into question. No, says the left, we’ll only spend a lot of money and send American troops into harms way, when it serves no other purpose than altruism, then we can’t be questioned.

The liberals were all ready to fight after 911, but Bush was smart not to rush into anything. He found a deliberate plan. Now that he is ready to move forward with that plan, their emotion has died. With no further terrorist attacks, they are ready to put the whole thing behind them and pretend that it was an aberration.

We’re lucky that George Bush sees the world the way it is and is willing to buck world opinion to do the right thing. Maybe next time he will just frame it as a national security issue and forget the human rights violations that are no doubt happening in these countries. It doesn't seem to matter to the left either way.