Our president has yet again proved that we, the people, really have no say in what happens to our country. Wasn’t America supposed to be the land of the free? A democracy? Do the people have a say in who dies and who lives? Apparently not.
Our President George W. Bush spoke to NBC “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams on Tuesday and decided to defend his highly criticized invasion of Iraq. Bush said, “If we lose our nerve and leave the Middle East before the job is finished, the world will be much worse off.”
Oh, really? For who, Mr. President? Will it be worse for the thousands of families back home, desperate for their loved ones to return to them?
Will it be worse for the native Iraqis, with their land being blown to pieces every single day? The President needs to be a bit more clear because we’re confused as to who exactly will be worse off when, if ever, the war ends.
“I have been saying all this time that we need perseverance and patience and the willingness to defeat a terrorist organization, an ideology of hate,” the President said, “with not only military action but the spread of freedom.” If that is so, then why are we manipulating an entire country to act and think as we do? Is that what freedom is? No, freedom is doing what you believe in and not having to answer to anyone else.
Perhaps we all have different opinions on what exactly, freedom is, but we have to give the President some credit, though. He does acknowledge that the majority of Americans are dismayed by the rising number of soldiers and service personnel who have been killed, but later in his interview he said, “If we retreat for the sake of popularity, is that the smart thing to do? My answer is absolutely not. It’d be a huge mistake to give the battlefield to these extremists.”
For the sake of popularity? Is he kidding? For the sake of thousands of dying soldiers, dying for a war that has long ago lost its meaning. For all the mothers, desperately wishing their son never left the nest. For all the young wives, praying their spouse is still alive.
In the end, you just have to hope this country will grow from all its blunders and hardships. From Katrina to Iraq to Sept. 11, we’ve been through an incredible amount of tragedy these past few years. But, we’ve become a stronger nation because of it. Let’s pray our next president will listen and understand that the power should be with the people.