| Joe Cryan is the Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee and serves in the New Jersey State Assembly for the 20th Legislative District.
As the war in Iraq drags into its fourth year, with casualties mounting, the financial cost growing and with no end in sight, the American people are learning more about the deceit and duplicity of the Bush Administration in selling the war to a nation that had experienced the trauma of the terrorist attacks of 9-11. The truth about the war reveals an administration that has sacrificed honesty along with the lives of close to 3,000 American soldiers. In essence, we have been fighting on a lie.
President Bush claimed that Iraq posed an imminent threat to national security, that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq was a battleground in the international war on terror. These were faulty claims in a false premise for war. There were no weapons of mass destruction, Iraq posed no direct threat and terrorists were not welcome in Hussein’s Iraq. This was a war of choice, not a war of necessity. And now we are paying the costs. In addition to the lives lost and those left with horrible wounds, the American people have spent more than $300 billion. This is money that could have been used to close the deficit, fund health care or education, protect the environment or to invest in economic progress.
Instead, we are caught in a conflict that is fragmenting into civil war. The cruel irony is - despite George Bush's false pretense - the war has actually increased the threat of terrorism by fueling antagonisms among Muslims throughout the world. The recent National Intelligence Estimate by the country’s intelligence services confirms this awful truth. The report – which the Bush Administration wanted to keep secret – is a stark indictment of misplaced priorities and failed policies that could haunt us for generations to come.
The war has also distracted resources and attention away from the more legitimate battle against terrorists. In Afghanistan, the Taliban is experiencing a resurgence and Al Qaeda is starting to reemerge. Around the globe, America's prestige has suffered. The belligerent attitude of the Bush Administration in prosecuting the war with complete disregard to international sentiment – not to mention international standards of conduct – belies an arrogance that alienates the United States in the world community.
The more we learn about the conduct of the Bush Administration, the more reasons we have to work for a change in leadership in Washington and a change in direction for the country. The behind-the-scenes account of decision making contained in Bob Woodward’s book, “State of Denial,” confirms the most cynical suspicions of the Bush Administration’s motives and behavior.
We have learned that legitimate warnings about terrorist attacks by Osama bin Laden were not taken seriously. We learned that the decision to go to war was made primarily on the gut instinct of a President who believes he has been ordained to make unilateral decisions and not be accountable. We learned of the disregard for dissenting opinions. What is worse, is the deceit and deception that accompanied these bad decisions. The President refuses to be held accountable. He refuses to tell the truth.
We now have the chance to force the President to face the truth. We now have the ability to make him accountable. We now have an opportunity to impose change. The upcoming election is our next best opportunity to bring change to Washington. George Bush isn’t on the ballot, but his political allies are. In New Jersey, Tom Kean Jr. and Congressman Mike Ferguson – two Republican candidates who support Bush’s war policies – are competing in this year’s election.
Congressman Ferguson and Kean Jr. are unapologetic supporters of Bush’s war policies. Kean Jr. has made some futile attempts recently to distance himself from the President. But his words are too little and too late, they are completely disingenuous. His half-hearted criticism that “mistakes were made” not only states the obvious, it came in the wake of recent public polls.
Senator Robert Menendez stood up to George Bush on the war from the start and he hasn’t backed down. He voted against the war when it was unpopular to do so. He now has a responsible plan for bringing our troops home safely. Senator Menendez has been right all along and he had the courage of his beliefs.
Just as wrong and just as bad as Kean Jr. is Mike Ferguson. He has succumbed to George Bush in every conceivable way. He has marched in lock step with Washington Republicans as they moved further and further away from the mainstream.
The voters in Ferguson’s congressional district have someone else to take his place. They have a Democratic candidate who will replace Ferguson’s Right wing positions – including his obedient support for Bush’s war policies and his belief that abortion should be criminalized – with sensible, responsible mainstream positions.
Linda Stender is that candidate. Linda opposes the war and wants to bring our troops home. She has the courage to stand up to George Bush and she has the strength of character to act in the best interests of the people.
This is an election that can make history. It offers an opportunity to shift the direction and the purpose of America. We should all do all that we can to take advantage of this opportunity and to help make history. |
