Days Gone By

There's been a real summer lull here at the Stain Club. All of our usual topics are floundering (phloundering in the Phillies case) and in July, most everyone is more worried about staying out of the oppressive summer heat. One topic that has been particularly neglected is the War in Iraq.

I always shied away from the discussion for a lot of reasons, first and foremost though, was that it's much easier to crack jokes about baseball and comic books than it is to grapple with life and death. Like many Americans, I don't subscribe to S.Q.'s laudable rule that "not a day goes by" for him without his thoughts turning to Iraq. Despite reading the paper everyday, the news often goes in one ear and out the other. I don't think I'm alone when I say that. Pundits and politicians inundate us with opinions, often largely unfounded, disguised as fact. They offer us prediction after prediction about a war that has already defied countless predictions. Slowly but surely, the deluge chipped away at my will to care. Every scrap of ignorance I could find was bliss. Every day that went by was another that I could try forget how 100 turned into 1000 and kept climbing.

Before the war began, I was against it. Everything I heard or read screamed poor management. The reasons for war were sketchy at best, and anyone who questioned the war could look forward to having their love of America questioned. Sensing its inevitability, I clung to a small silver lining; Saddam Hussein was a tyrannical dictator, and the world would be better without him.

It was a small consolation at the time, and it has diminished considerably over the past 4+ years. Worst of all, as the war drags on, I only become more torn about whether we should stay.

Armed with hindsight, most of America believes we never should have gone. And we are rightfully weary of the empty promises claiming that the insurgency is in its last throes. It has become nearly impossible to believe the "Surge" is any different. I am terrified that in September, General Petraeus will testify before Congress and outline a new plan for a "Thrust." However, no one seems able to credibly answer the question of what will happen when we leave.

With the changing political climates, a major withdrawal seems increasingly likely. Despite the changing political winds, I am still deeply skeptical of the vague solutions delivered by opportunistic politicians. Although getting our troops home safe would be an amazing relief for countless families across the country, I cannot stop wondering what will happen to the Iraqis. If history is any guide, the war will not end when we withdraw. And if the plans for a major redeployment in March 2008 go through, I will be exactly where I was 5 years before... Desperately hoping I am wrong.

Right now it's 11:50pm, and until an hour ago, I had not thought about the war. I was busy dreading another mindless day at the office when a friend from high school called to tell me a friend we both knew died in Iraq.

I was stunned. I think I still am. People from my hometown don't die. They just fade away when you move out and get on with your life. I hadn't seen or, in all honesty, thought about Tony in a few years. But we hung out in high school occasionally and he was a nice guy who I considered a friend.

I wish I had something poignant to end with, but I don't. My thoughts keep turning to how little I appreciated the luxury of having days go by without thinking about the war. Intellectually, I knew all the details, but deep down it was something happening somewhere far away to someone else. Perhaps tomorrow I will have something clearer to say, but I'll wrap up with the most important point.

Tony was not someone else.