WAR AS A NECESSARY EVIL?

I watched, as much of the world did, as some U.S. troops tied a noose around Saddam’s neck and then struggled to topple the statue (it was only a statue). The statue was stubborn of course and it didn’t want to fall—just like Saddam the man. But as the truck pulled harder and the body finally did come apart, the statue did a final undignified dive sliding forward off the pipes that had held it in place.

As soon as Saddam was down and on the ground he was instantly engulfed by an exuberant crowd kicking and beating him. It gave me at least a small sense of how evil the leader must have been. After all, what else would have caused such a huge outpouring of pure joy in people watching a statue fall.

We Americans are lucky. Those of us born here have not experienced what the Iraqis have. Regardless of the decisions, which brought us to Iraq I can’t help but feel pride in our country at this moment. "Happy, jubilant people" is the way a reporter characterized a crowd which greeted our troops come to free them from the oppression that had held them in the grip of fear.

After all, this is what we Americans are good at. We are still the only country that will stand up to oppression and take the flak from the rest of the world. I have held onto this thought many times when I have been overcome with guilt and shame I experienced from fighting in Vietnam. But, looking at the joyous faces and hearing the shouts of years of oppression being released, how can anyone not want to share in the good feeling of the Iraqis?

As someone who has experienced war, I probably have as great a dislike for it as anyone on earth. I hate the idea of it. I hate the memory of it—of what it did to me and to my friends. But seeing this crowd of people cheering our soldiers—even for those of us who know its power—I wonder if war is not a necessary evil.