Solomonia Archive: "John Kerry...is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative."

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

"John Kerry...is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative."

Good Lord. Who could write such stuff? And who could publish it? Why, James Carroll and The Boston Globe respectively, of course. Must be read to be believed.

Boston Globe: Why Americans back the war

Carroll reaches back all the way to the firebombing of Tokyo, through the Cold War and on to the present day in a laundry-list of American sins. In the classical style of the Northeast Liberal Elite point of view, America, far from being vindicated by history, has actually been its villain.

What of the present war? More of the same. A horrible, criminal, illegal waste. The deaths of our guys, the limbs lost? For no purpose whatsoever, no, not even that - an evil purpose, actually. For freedom abroad and safety at home? Not if the likes of the Globe and James Carroll have anything to say about it.

Don't worry you current servicemen, you are in very good company. He is equally condemnatory of the war of our fathers and grandfathers (and great-grandfathers?) that stopped a Nazi-like occupation and replaced a rampaging expansionist empire with a peaceful, functioning democracy to this day:

The Bush war in Iraq, in fact, is only the latest in a chain of irresponsible acts of a warrior government, going back to the firebombing of Tokyo. In comparison to that, the fire from our helicopter gunships above the cities of Iraq this week is benign. Is that why we take no offense?

Good company indeed.

In an odd moment of lucidity, Carroll asks that we face the consequences of our actions:

Something deeply shameful has us in its grip. We carefully nurture a spirit of detachment toward the wars we pay for. But that means we cloak ourselves in cold indifference to the unnecessary suffering of others -- even when we cause it. We don't look at any of this directly because the consequent guilt would violate our sense of ourselves as nice people. Meaning no harm, how could we inflict such harm?

Can Carroll face the consequences of his own condemnations? Here is my answer to that.

In this political season, the momentous issue of American-sponsored death is an inch below the surface, not quite hidden -- making the election a matter of transcendent importance. George W. Bush is proud of the disgraceful history that has paralyzed the national conscience on the question of war. He does not recognize it for what it is -- an American Tragedy. The American tragedy. John Kerry, by contrast, is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative. We see that reflected in the complexity not only of his responses, but of his character -- and no wonder it puts people off [No wonder, indeed. He doesn't appear to have much. -Sol]. Kerry's problem, so far unresolved, is how to tell us what we cannot bear to know about ourselves. How to tell us the truth of our great moral squandering. The truth of what we are doing today in Iraq.

It is no wonder that Carroll concludes this kangaroo-court reading of charges with an advocacy of the Kerry candidacy. Men like Carroll and Kerry know only one thing - how to trade on the shame and defeat of America, and where it does not exist, create it.

Posted by Solomon at 10:20 AM on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004 | Comments (3)
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3 Comments

#1 Sherry | September 21, 2004 2:13 PM

"It is no wonder that Carroll concludes this kangaroo-court reading of charges with an advocacy of the Kerry candidacy. Men like Carroll and Kerry know only one thing - how to trade on the shame and defeat of America, and where it does not exist, create it."

That has to be the best assessment I've ever heard concerning Kerry and his media supporters.

#2 Solomon | September 21, 2004 9:15 PM

Thanks. :)

#3 Harry Forbes | September 22, 2004 11:20 PM

Well put, Sol.

I read Carroll's column in complete disbelief. He hates our culture almost as much as Bin Laden.