I apologize for not posting in so long. The semester is winding down though, which means I will soon face the real world! And until I get a job (would you like to hire me?) I should have some time to blog!
This bloggingheads.tv clip focuses on a question I find fascinating. The question is “Did liberal opposition help or harm the Iraq war effort?” I think this is a critical question that the media has yet to address–and probably never will. I think you can’t deny that the Liberal push to get out of Iraq (2006 elections–remember?) did in fact put a lot of pressure on the Pentagon, Iraqi forces, and Iraq’s government, and signaled to them that US forces may in fact be leaving Iraq in the near future. Did this have a positive impact on our mission in Iraq? The anti-war movement was of course matched with the Bush administration’s refusal to pull out any troops, which, when taking into account the relative success of the “surge” (which, of course, may be temporary–but for now has stabilized Iraq) was not necessarily a bad thing. Could it be that the combination of extreme political pressure to get out, with an administration that refused to do so was exactly what was needed? I wonder how we will look back on this chapter of the Iraq War.
Phil – It’s so refreshing to see you’re posting again!
I’m at work and haven’t been able to watch the clip yet, but I wanted to weigh in with what I think I know about your question. My direct answer is that liberal opposition harmed the Iraq war effort, and I think most would agree. After the decision to enter Iraq was made, the war effort would have benefitted most from 100% support all the time. However, that’s not to say that liberal opposition hurt our country. Leaders of our nation know that they need good reason and justification to put the lives of our soldiers at risk, and that’s part of what makes our democracy great.
There’s little doubt that we could have “won” the war in Iraq with the complement of all America’s resources, but I don’t believe any end result in Iraq could possibly have justified the cost ($$ & lives). Though it is in our nation’s best interest to pull troops from Iraq, it still takes away from the war effort itself.