I was catching up on the news this morning when I came across this article in the New York Post. In it they discuss a comment that Boxer made to Condoleeza Rice in regards to the personal sacrifices that we as Americans will have to make during this Iraq debacle. Namely, who will feel the sting from the upcoming "surge" in forces there? The Post quotes Boxer a saying:
Rice appeared before the Senate in defense of President Bush's tactical change in Iraq, and quickly encountered Boxer.
"Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price," Boxer said. "My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young."
Then, to Rice: "You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family."
Fair enough, in my book, and altogether true. The war is being fought, and will continue to be fought, by young men and women in the 18 - 22 year old range. The people that pay for this war directly are them and their families.
I have long said that this war, and the underlying support for it, would be far different if everyone had to become involved. I've said it before, and I will reiterate: I do not think G.W. Bush would be so keen on marching into Baghdad if Jenna and Barbara were in the 1st wave of bodies to encounter Saddam's troops. Hell, I think he'd be less inclined to support his little war if they had to serve as mechanics or cooks in the relatively safe "Green Zone". I'm not saying that George takes this war lightly, but its a hell of a lot easier to send someone else's kid to war while yours our out in Buenos Aires partying.
Anyway, The Post goes on to lambast Pelosi for being a b*itch and a nutto Dem and blah, blah, blah. Personally, I think the criticism is a little sharp, but Pelosi is right on point with Rice. Rice , like Bush, will likely not take any particular glee in the deaths of American servicemen/women, but she is somewhat insulated from the impact by virtue of not having her own flesh and blood risked in Basra. At the end of their article The Post calls for Pelosi to apologize. Please. The shit that goes down in Washington, and you want Pelosi to apologize for framing the American foreign policy in terms of personal cost?
The Post sucks. What a crappy paper. But you know what? All of the uproar from them makes sense when you know that Newscorp (Rupert Murdoch's media company) owns The Post, and what else does Newscorp own? Just a little company known as FOX. Who's a big fan of Fox? Why, none other than Condoleezza Rice! Go figure.
