Online Only: The price of war

Poor Condoleezza Rice. This just hasn't been a good week for her. First, there was the raid on a liaison office in Iraq that she had to defend. Apparently, detaining five Iranians present in a government liaison office in Iraq is perfectly within the parameters of international law. Well, according to her and the Bush administration, so is operating secret prisons in eastern Europe. \nThen, she had to endure barbs from Sen. Barbara Boxer. The senator, who was addressing Rice during a hearing had this to say about the troop surge in Iraq: "Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old and my grandchild is too young. You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families." \nImmediately, conservative commentators were in an uproar. How dare Sen. Boxer point out that Rice has no children? Tony Snow, the White House Press Secretary, called it a "great leap backwards for feminism." I really don't see how this particular "great leap backwards for feminism" is any different from the time that Hardball's Chris Matthews asked if Hillary Clinton is a "convincing mom". \nUnfortunately, the real issue is being skirted here: Are lawmakers removed from the real cost of war? Congressman Charles Rangel certainly thought so when he wanted to reintroduce a draft. It is likely, however, that people from well-to-do families or with "good connections" will be able to dodge the draft. You could also give a really bad excuse to dodge the draft like when Tom Delay claimed that minorities had taken up all the available positions for enlistment so there was no room for him. It's probably the only time he supported affirmative action. \nIs it possible though that if Jenna Bush was in the military, the president would be reluctant to send more troops? If history were any indicator, it probably wouldn't matter. Take the example of Sen. John McCain whose father ordered strikes on Hanoi while his son was a prisoner of war there. McCain's own son is enlisted in the Marines and will most probably be sent to Iraq. Despite this, McCain supports a troop surge. At the same time, Sen. Jim Webb, whose son is in Iraq, opposes a troop surge. Both men have a rationale for their decision and obviously separate policies from emotions. \nHowever, what disturbs me about the quote is the part about "personal price." It used to be that every human life was valued, no matter how we were connected to it. Death was not merely a byproduct of war but a reason to avoid it. While I don't pretend to understand the grief of military families, I am saddened by their sacrifices. The truth is, everyone is paying an enormous price for the gross incompetence of President Bush. It would serve Democrats and Republicans well to remember that one day of bloviating will not erase the silence of the past five years.