The buzzword starting with John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign was "responsible withdrawal." He meant Iraq. And "responsible withdrawal" is really just a fancy way of saying, "Pipe down, we're not leaving."
Military madness
Is killing the country
So much sadness
Between you and me
-- "Military Madness," written by Graham Nash, first appears on Nash's Songs for Beginners.
"Responsible withdrawal."
What's a responsible end to an abusive marriage? Divorce. Immediate divorce. Not trial separation. Not marriage counseling. It's divorce.
Somehow, however, we're supposed to accept that an abusive relationship with another country can be ended slowly.
"Responsible withdrawal" is nothing but the War Hawk Establishment flipping the bird at (whatever's left of) the peace movement.
And the phony phrase also serves to extinguish protests.
I Need Attention Benjamin of CODESTINK has taken to the call of "responsible withdrawal" from Afghanistan. She thinks the US should stay until things are secured for women. In other words, she's morphed into Laura Bush.
Medea, who's more than done her part to euthanize the peace movement, feels lonely in DC and thinks the peace movement needs to be re-activated. She says that a lot. While talking about Afghanistan.
She doesn't talk about the Iraq War. She acts as though it's ended. And yet she wonders why the peace movement isn't more active?
The Iraq War has ended and, no matter what crap Raed Jarrar spews, the SOFA doesn't mean it ends. At the end of wars, treaties are often negotiated. The SOFA isn't a treaty to end the Iraq War. It is a treaty that bought three more years and it may be replaced with something that buys even more years.
But all it took was Barry O saying he was doing a "responsible withdrawal" from Iraq and everyone acts as though that war is ending. It's not ended and there's nothing that says it's ending.
The Iraq War should be over. Not at the end of 2011 but right now.
There are no demands from Medea or CODESTINK for that.
Sting broke down the truth years ago, "There's no such thing as a winnable war" ("Russians," The Dream of the Blue Turtles). By the same token, there's no such thing as "responsible withdrawal." You withdraw or you don't.
Every day the US doesn't withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan is irresponsible.
Continuing the illegal wars is irresponsible.
Propping up thug governments is irresponsible.
Kidding yourself that progress has been made in either country is irresponsible.
Continue the madness of illegal wars is irresponsible.
The only responsible position is: All troops out now.
After the wars are over
And the body count is finally filed
I hope that man discovers
What's driving the people wild
