Don't be too harsh on "Blame America First"

There seems to be a large segment of a particular political party that enjoys employing a series of what they consider cleaver phrases to the point where those phrases become nothing more than cliché` and overly tired arguments. “Stay the Course,” “Mission Accomplished,” and most recently, “Blame America first crowd” have all surpassed the status of cleaver phrase and crossed over to the realm of tired, hollow arguments against those who disagree with the current deployment of our troops in Iraq.

“Blame America first” is an interesting non-argument because it provides greater understanding and perhaps a bit of sympathy to those who are against any plan to withdraw from Iraq either strategically or otherwise. It is also an interesting catchphrase because despite it’s vagueness, its initial message is not difficult to understand.

It can best be described as a reactionary phrase. It is a reaction to the frustration of the realization that the United States is very likely responsible for the mess in Iraq. It is made in denial of that fact, but its not necessarily made in attempt to mislead those who are unaware of the facts in Iraq. It is a common form of denial, similar to the denial of the death of a loved one. This form of denial is one of the stages of dealing with a loss, and we as a nation are certainly dealing with loss. We have lost many loved troops abroad. The world has lost many loved citizens who were unjustly and unfortunately caught in the crossfire, both literal and figurative, of this war. We as a nation are dealing with our loss of credibility and our loss of faith in a leader whom we feel we should be able to place more trust in.

Unfortunately, denial in this case has increased the degree of polarization between those who are pro-war and those who are anti-war. This initial stage of dealing with loss is detrimental to society yet necessary for those who are coming to terms with the fact that the United States is waging an illegal war against Iraq, and that the United States is committing the same sorts of atrocities in Iraq that it has sworn to protect against.

This stage of denial, however, also beckons the potential for hope. If enough those who are in denial about the truths of the Iraq war proceed through the stages of loss quickly enough, their shift in perspective on the war will hopefully contribute to the positive resolution in Iraq and the decrease in polarization among the citizens of the United States. This does not require a shift of political parties to accomplish. Rather, it requires the recognition of injustice and the desire to rectify those injustices. Instead of an area of policy that causes divisions between members of political parties, the war in Iraq can easily turn to greater unification of political parties on the grounds that atrocities against humanity should be rectified. Already we are beginning to see Republican and Democratic Senators unifying on this position as house and senate members push to end the war on Iraq .

Hopefully, the era of political unification on this important issue is near. Until then, it is important that those against the war in Iraq not be too critical of those who are partaking in the “blame America first” argument. Instead of being relentless in argument, calmly state your position, refuse to get frustrated at any non-argument they provide against you, and be prepared to assist with the grieving process they are likely undergoing.