GEORGE, DICK AND THE POLITICS OF YCARCOMED.

There are those in the administration who are trying to stifle inquiries and debate about the Iraqi invasion. Their understanding of democracy is so distorted that it’s inverted. Our troops all over the world and in Iraq are fighting and dying to preserve our rights and freedom to debate and argue about the wisdom and truthfulness of our government. They are supposedly trying to bring that American heritage and blessing to an oppressed people who have lived under a tyrant. A tyrant who brooked no independent thought, discussion, or action and would use any means to enforce his policies. Now George and Dick and their lackeys in Congress who have probably no idea that the Continental Congress wasn’t a disbanded football team are dishonoring the true patriots who shed their blood during the birth of America to give us the freedom of dissent.

They will have a tough time suppressing these rights. Americans are inculcated with the heroism inherent in dissent and freedom. Too many movies and documentaries about Hitler and his insane and ill-conceived war plans have been shown for Americans to believe that any leader is infallible. We have seen over and over how Hitler ignored reality and his generals and continued with a ruinous course because he listened to no one and ruled without dissent. The war ground on and on, simple grumbling about privations resulted in punishment, dissent and discussion were treated as treason, and, as in the example of the White Rose movement, resulted in death for students with anti-war pamphlets.

We have seen too many images of the crazed, foaming-at-the-mouth wide-eyed Führer snapping at his staff to believe that a leader shouldn’t listen to sound advice. Certainly there was cautious advice given to Donald Rumsfeld before the Iraq invasion. It was probably not that different from the advice given Adolf before he invaded Russia: we may not be able to pull this off as planned. History has rendered its verdict about the eastern front; it has yet to render its verdict on Iraq, but the current situation is not promising. The “insurgency” looks a lot like Stalingrad: pernicious and ruthless.

When there is no room for discussion, debate, and policy change because reality itself is shut off we all know what happens. Hitler’s top staff knew he was leading their country into disaster. They knew he was a crazed delusional fanatic determined to fight to the last boy. So they had only one recourse: violent removal. That, dear George, Dick et al, is how totalitarian governments solve their problems. We live in a democracy, so that cataclysmic events like that never have to happen. We can vote a congressman, senator, or president out of office, but in order to do so we must have the freedom to debate. The war is a policy and how it is conducted is a question of tactics; both need discussion to arrive at the right answers. Someone in your administration should fly to Iraq and personally thank our brave loyal soldiers for their extreme sacrifice to uphold the very freedoms that make us Americans. Two hundred twenty-nine years ago Americans shed blood against an autocratic king (also named George) for the right to free speech and participation in the political process. Subsequently, countless politicians whose unpleasant or incompetent policies became unpopular tried to contain debate. They have rarely succeeded. George, you are known as “Dubya,” not George IV.

Why the WMD issue won’t go away is a classic example of democracy vs. totalitarianism. When the Germans invaded the Sudetenland in 1938 their stated reason was to save the ethnic German population from abuse and violence. It was presented to the German people as a humanitarian rescue mission. There was near universal support for the invasion. Later, it was revealed that the entire story fed to the German people had been concocted by Goebbels and his propaganda ministry. The entire invasion was based on exaggeration and fabrication. Had Germany been a democracy this could have been exposed. A free and vigorous press and a free and vigorous political body could have exposed Hitler and Goebbels for the warmongering liars they were. The entire course of world history could have been altered at that time.

Many of us supported the invasion of Iraq. Many of us believed that there were WMDs that needed to be found and eliminated. This was a rational policy and tactical goal. The fact that we could not get the “the old Europe” to go along with us did not mean much—they showed their courage in the Srebrenica slaughter.

By now, after the Downing Street letter, the Plame affair, the planting of intentional misinformation about WMDs, the outright lies about an Al Qaeda–Saddam link and 9/11, it is clear the Iraq war is the Sudetenland of our time. The adminstration’s shifting rationale about bringing democracy to the Mideast rings hollow with every Shiite policy statement and increasing Iranian influence. At the very least, the decision to invade and occupy with these troop levels is incompetence of historic proportions. That’s why we need to have this debate, to save our troops from those who would keep them in harm’s way without an understanding of the insurgency on the ground. We need to have this debate in full view of the world so that we can be the beacon of democracy spoken of in our press releases. Our brave troops fighting hand to hand in dusty towns in Anbar province need to know that their fate is of the utmost concern to us as a people. They need to know that all Americans cherish freedom more than dictatorial control. The brave troops need to read about how in a democracy lies and deceit, even if coming from the office on Pennsylvania Avenue, will be exposed and the truth outed. We should remind our elected leaders that inserting troops in faraway countries falsely and undersupporting them with personnel and matériel will not garner a free pass for policy and military failure.

The actions and lessons of democracy may feel harsh to those exposed, but for the people in a democratic nation the results will always be more advantageous than the darkness of imperial rule.