Call In the Airstrike With A Poison Kiss

The past few days, the media has distinguished itself by dancing like Astaire on the grave of Zarqawi. Our Ginger Rogers in this pas de deux is a military that seems shocked it attained its target, which is not exactly the response you want in your military. Personally, I'd like the boys and girls dropping bombs so well-trained hitting a target is not-worth-mentioning second nature, and I want them so well-adjusted they have the decency to express regret that a job well-done required loss of life in the first place. Unfortunately, my society has gone to war with the press corps it had, not the one I'd like, and not the government, justification or outcome, either.

Human nature is messy, ugly stuff. Humans like the pick the winners and spike the ball. Humans like to kick a man when he's down, and once more for good measure. Humans like to humiliate a loser and pinch his wife. Humans, basically, are bumfuck cruel and at some times more than others the veneer of civility chips and peels. This is such a moment. A great many people are sick of hearing that children are dying for no good reason while the economy's tanking and the federal deficit mushrooms, and these people are looking for a ball to spike, a winner, a loser and a fleshy woman to pinch. Cue the kickline.

This would be an excellent moment for us to take stock of what the hell we're doing. The war doesn't make any sense. Destroying a city to save it is the reasoning of madmen. If our government's aim is to win over the populace bombing the shit out of it comes up short as strategy. If our government's intention was to spread democracy it ought to be noted that desire must arise from the hearts of a people. It cannot be imposed from outside. If our government intended to free a captive society and form a satellite state it will not succeed. A nation cannot simultaneously occupy and release; in the Middle East, we are occupiers, and we are seen as occupiers. Rhetoric is foolishness now. More people will die. More of our brave children will die. More of our treasury will disappear. Our own people will remain divided. This is simple human nature at work.

It does not befit a powerful nation to wage war against a weak one. Any strike against the oppressed does not bring glory - it brings mutual humiliation. The powerful nation loses its brave and patient mien. The weak one may discover its soul in resistance. No good will ever come of it. None is coming, here. Zarqawi's death accomplishes exactly nothing for us except to bring us more footsoldiers willing to die for our defeat. You know this. You know all this. And yet we see dancing on his grave.

There is a great deal of talk about what a great many people think we are doing. What is it we are actually doing?