Who Is Politicizing the Dead?

by Pogie on May 29, 2006

in The Hateful Right, US Politics, War on Terror

One of the favorite conservative memes is the contention that the Left in this country politicize the war and the soldiers who serve in it by demanding an accounting of the dead and wounded. Given that claim, you would assume that Republicans would never seek to politicize Memorial Day, right?

Today, though, President Bush decided, was a day for political posturing.

The president vowed to honor those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan "by completing the mission for which they gave their lives — by defeating the terrorists, by advancing the cause of liberty and by laying the foundation of peace for a generation of young Americans."

More than 4,500 people gathered under a sweltering sun to catch a glimpse of the president, who was introduced by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld as "an historic leader, a selfless leader."

How about honoring them by ending a war that your manager lacked the skill to plan for and that you have long since lost the political will to turn into a victory? How about honoring our soldiers by improving their gear in the field, ending the practice of sending mentally ill troops into the fight, improving their care when the wounded come home, and ending the practice of secretly transporting their caskets when they fall?

‘Honor’ certainly has a unique meaning in this administration.

Memorial Day should be a solemn reminder to politicians about the consequences of war in human terms, for it is politicians who start wars, not soliders. Today is not a day for self-congratulatory praise of the incompetent who made the war effort fail, nor is it a time for political posturing. It is a time for politicians to remember what happens to men and women when they start wars.

Our president should honor the fallen, not exploit their memory. Our president should honor the men and women of our country by telling the truth. Our soliders deserve better.

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