Machiavelli model applies to Bush

We are now in the fifth year of war. As of this writing, 3,217 Americans are dead, 91 of them from Georgia. About 10 times that number are injured, and the cost in dollars and cents is approaching $500 billion. The damage done to our nation is heartbreaking.

The war was a mistake. It was ill conceived and poorly executed from the beginning, but it's not clear that pulling our troops out now is the right thing to do. As Colin Powell said, "You break it; you own it." This is why some who are against the war still refuse to set a deadline for withdrawal. Once again the nation is divided.

We don't trust government. We don't trust the media. We don't trust each other. What ever happens in Iraq, it will take a long time to repair this damage. The only good thing that can come out of this war now is a determination on the part of the American public to understand what went wrong and never let it happen again.

So far, however, we seem more interested in arguing. One can hardly call what's happening today a debate when it's clear neither side will give any credit to an opposing view. Was the war justified? Let's let history decide.

Is any war justified? As a Christian I would say "no," but I'm also a realist, and I remember World War II all too well.

The point is I don't believe we as a nation behaved responsibly four years ago when we went to war. The country was too busy fighting its own ideological battles. President Bush ran as a "conservative." He courted and won the vote of the religious right through his stand on abortion, homosexuality, stem cell research and other issues that have nothing to do with international policy.

His connections with big business, big oil, the military, and most of all his ties to a band of neo-conservatives who lobbied for war in the Mideast long before Sept. 11, 2001, were never questioned. Mr. Bush did not win the majority of the votes, but he did win the election; and the circumstances surrounding it reinforced the split within our country.

Nevertheless President Bush claimed he had a "mandate" and began consolidating his power. The fact that Congress and the American people accepted this "mandate" without question put us where we are today.

When the vote to invade Iraq came before Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike acceded. Once the country was at war, the president had what he needed to continue this consolidation. The American public went along with it.

Readers probably recognize the name Machiavelli, but how many have read " The Prince," Machiavelli's famous manual for would-be leaders on the art of gaining and holding power? Above all, Machiavelli says, a leader must demand loyalty.

To question the wisdom of the war was "disloyal." To challenge the Patriot Act "jeopardized national security." To object to signing statements whereby Mr. Bush overrode laws he didn't like became "Bush bashing." And all the while Congress ignored its obligation to the people because members were busy playing party politics.

There are signs that the public is beginning to wake up. People who supported the war in the beginning are tired of bad news. My hope is that they will take a renewed interest in what made American great in the first place.

We were a nation that respected individual privacy and freedom. We believed in the right to speak out when power is abused. We were a nation of law. No one was exempt, not even the president.

As a nation we were admired around the world. We didn't legitimize torture. (Alberto Gonzales' August 2002 memo to the CIA).

We didn't dismiss civilian deaths as unimportant: "We don't do body counts," (Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and General Tommy Franks) and when "mistakes were made," we corrected them.

I, too, am tired of the bad news, and tired of hearing the apologists defend the indefensible. I want to honor our troops by bringing them home alive. I want to help the Iraqi people by allowing them to speak for themselves. Apparently more Iraqi citizens want the United States to get out than want them to stay, but they are still a divided country; and there is a limit to what we can do for them until we get our own house in order.

Joan King lives in Sautee; e-mail, joank@alltel.net. Her column appears biweekly.

© Originally published Tuesday, March 13, 2007 in The Gainesville Times