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February 16, 2007
Obligatory Post on the Iraq War Debate and Votes
Let's have a little contest, shall we? Here's what I propose as the game:
Whose Congressperson has said the most embarrassingly unenlightened thing regarding the war during this debate?
Leave your thoughts in the Comments below. All Members of Congress who've spoken are eligible, no matter which side of the debate they championed.
The winners of this contest? Obviously, those Americans whose Reps. and Sens. have avoided chewing on their own feet. The rest of us deserve some kind of consolation prize, but I'm afraid to ask what it'd be. (War with Iran? No thanks.)
I'd like to start the proceedings by nominating my very own Congressman, Rep. Zach Wamp, who said, "In my view, this is a religious conflict. We're at war with Islamic jihadists.”
For the last time: Saddam Hussein, his sons, and their Baathist regime, which were purportedly the threat to which we preëmptively responded, were not "Islamic jihadists."
Furthermore, the ethnic/religious factions that currently struggle for power in the vacuum we created are not inherently "out to get us." Yes, they shoot at and bomb our troops, but if they weren't there, it wouldn't be happening. It's not like the Moqtada al-Sadr brigades or the Sunni insurgents in Fallujah would've been marching toward the Potomac. They're after each other, in many ways as proxies for Shi'a and Sunni strongholds to the East and West, respectively.
Finally, the horribly irresponsible implication in Wamp's statement is that "we," the U.S., are viewing and fighting this as a religious war. Never mind that Usama bin Laden and al-Qaeda are about as "Islamic" as pork rinds and Paris Hilton; we are the United States of America, a free nation, and not any kind of tool of the Christian religion. Christians are as free as any other believers are to worship here, which is super-great, and is in part what makes us special; but I surely do not want them co-opting our agenda and couching our national security objectives in a Judeo-Christian context. Even if one's opponents have a religious foundation for their ire (and I don't believe that they do), that doesn't necessitate a religion-tinged response.
Congressman Wamp is therefore emphatically nominated for saying the dumbest thing anyone could have said from the House floor this week. But I'm open to your thoughts on the matter. Ready, Go!
(HT: VV)
Government , International | By joe lance | 12:24 PM
Comments
Every time a Republican took a turn, I was stunned by their stuck-on-stupidity.
Posted by: Wintermute at February 17, 2007 6:32 PM
But remember, there were 17 Republicans for, and 2 Democrats against. And some of the Republicans against the resolution had some good points. I'm just not buying the "religious war" part.
Posted by: joe lance at February 17, 2007 7:45 PM