Tonight, Dems screened "Body of War," one of the most recent anti-Iraq, anti-war documents out there. And, honestly, it was one of the better documentaries on the war that I've seen (and trust me, I've seen quite a few).
Chronicling the story of Tomas Young, an Iraq war veteran shot in the spinal cord just five days after he was deployed to Iraq, "Body of War," does not try to pull a Michael-Moore esque stunt and reveal hidden secrets and motives about conservative ineptitudes. It simply follows Young from his release from rehab to his wedding to his divorce to his growing role in Iraq Veterans Against the War. In other words, it provides a very personal and honest approach to life after Iraq. Interspersed in Young's story are the comments and rhetoric of various Senators and Representatives leading up to the 2002 Resolution to invade Iraq. Though both sides of the aisle are shown, two things stick out. One, just how ridiculous it was to make the President the one with the power to declare war, essentially depriving Congress of that same power. And second is the absurdity of those who argued for the invasion of Iraq. They all said the same thing. They all used the same phrases, the same arguments that invoked fear and were built upon nothing. Though this revelation is about as surprising as the recent NY Times exposure of Pentagon control of the press about Guantanamo, it's very striking to hear the remarks in a row, made by many different Congressmen across many different days. (For an accurate idea of what this propaganda sounded like when strung together, watch this montage of quotes from Lost. Seriously.) Serving as a breath of fresh air amongst this absurdity are the dissenting politicians that have become the "Immortal 23" or the Senators who voted "nay," including Senators Byrd, Boxer, Leahy, Kennedy, Wellstone and Jeffords.
I'm glad Dems showed this screening for several reasons, but namely because it reminded me that the war is an important issue. A Vermonter who is part of Iraq Veterans Against the War (a man himself not much older than 25) came up to me afterwards and said, "I was very surprised when I found out the College Democrats were screening this." His comment helped served as a reality check that, even though voters may be saying the economy is the most important issue, the Democratic Party is not just about one issue or not just about one candidate. It has a robust platform and represents a wide variety of issues. I think this perspective is important to keep in mind as we get even deeper into this election cycle, starting with the Iraq Debate on May 5th.
Anyway, now that we've paid for the requisition of the film, we will likely be showing this again in the near future and I highly recommend that people come.
4 comments:
It's amazing how quickly Iraq has disappeared from the national consciousness, even though nothing has really changed in terms of our involvement.
(Except, of course, that THE SURGE IS WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
In January of 2007, when the new Democratic Congress entered office, we all assumed that Iraq would stay on the front burner. And it did, for a while.
I'm not one of those Democrats ready to dismiss Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, or worse, the Democrats in general, because they weren't able to overcome the Republican filibuster or the Presidential Veto.
I am willing to point the finger at some Bush Dog Democrats who went along with the administration, chief among them the distinguished Senator from the Connecticut for Lieberman party. And I have to hand it to the Bush administration for sheer perseverance in thumbing their noses at public opinion and the Bush One Iraq Study Group.
But I don't know who to blame for the disappearance of Iraq from the media recently. I think, as George Packer suggested, there's just widespread public fatigue with a war that we've opposed for so long without results.
Our challenge for the fall will be to bring the war back front and center. That's the difference between 2004 and now. In 2004, like now, Democrats were better trusted with the economy. But after four more disastrous years, we're also the party better trusted with our foreign policy.
The question for the nation this fall: can we survive four more?
Blame the subprime lenders and the likely recession we're in. Only so much room in the public consciousness. It's harder to remember the war when it's been bumped out of the news cycle AND we're not personally affected (for the most part) nor asked to sacrifice.
Interesting to know.
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