I began writing letters in 2003 to editors of newspapers located in Florence (my residence), Coos Bay, and Eugene, Oregon. President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq was the impetus. Subsequent policy and conduct of Republican Party officials have motivated me ever since to vent. I wish to share some of my letters to represent whatever you wish to discern of the political history of our country since 2000. They will enumerate detail of what transpired that you may have forgotten or did not know. Consider this series a history of the frustrations of a liberal Democrat appalled at the damage that the modern Republican Party has wrought upon our country, on the verge now – I and many others believe – of becoming an autocracy.
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(From an article printed by Brookings June 1, 2003)
The Iraq war validated a basic rule of American politics: the American public closes ranks in times of national crisis. In the prolonged march to war, the public was divided and ambivalent about the wisdom of invading Iraq rather than relying on continued United Nations weapons inspections. Most of those doubts evaporated once the bombs began falling. And the surge of patriotism not only boosted public support for President Bush, but extended beyond the White House to raise optimism about the country’s institutions and American society as a whole.
…
Iraq dominated the headlines throughout the fall of 2002 and into the winter of 2003. Public opinion on the wisdom of war, however, stabilized relatively early and slightly in favor of war. Gallup found that from August 2002 through early March 2003 the share of Americans favoring war hovered in a relatively narrow range between a low of 52 percent and a high of 59 percent. By contrast, the share of the public opposed to war fluctuated between 35 percent and 43 percent.
Not surprisingly, Republicans (75 percent in favor) backed war more strongly than did Democrats (only 40 percent). …
In sum, public opinion on the eve of war with Iraq was permissive—it was willing to follow the White House to war but not demanding war. About 30 percent of Americans were convinced that war was not only just but necessary. Another 30 percent firmly believed that a war could not be justified. The remaining 40 percent could imagine scenarios in which it made sense to go to war as well as scenarios in which it didn’t. It was this “movable middle” that the Bush White House targeted in its public comments in the weeks leading up to war.
Once Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 19, support for the war surged to 72 percent in Gallup’s polling and remained there throughout the fighting. President Bush also benefited personally, gaining greater public approval; in the first days of fighting, Gallup recorded a 13-percentage-point rise. The increase, however, was much smaller than either the 35-percentage-point leap Bush enjoyed immediately after September 11—or the 24-point jump his father received at the start of the 1991 Gulf War.
The modest nature of Bush’s Iraq rally reflected a deep partisan split over the wisdom of the war. More than nine out of ten Republicans supported the decision to go to war, as against only half of Democrats. …
In the weeks immediately after the capture of Baghdad and the end of major combat operations, Americans continued to support the decision to invade. In late April, Gallup found that seven in ten Americans believed that President Bush had been right to order this attack. Support held even though nearly two out of every three people surveyed thought that the war was not yet over. Nor were Americans overly concerned about continued sporadic fighting or scenes of looting in Iraqi cities. More than eight in ten Americans said that they believed that things were going “very well” or “moderately well” with the end of major fighting in Iraq.
Not surprisingly, given the speed with which U.S. forces unseated Saddam Hussein, most Americans also were optimistic about the war’s consequences. In late April the share of the American public saying that the United States and its allies were winning the war on terrorism stood at 65 percent, up from 37 percent two weeks before the start of war. This optimism roughly equaled what Gallup found in the immediate aftermath of the Afghanistan war. The newfound confidence in America’s success in the war on terrorism was clearly boosted by the overall rally effect. When specifically asked whether the Iraq War had made Americans safer, the share of the public saying yes was somewhat lower at 58 percent (Smith and Lindsay 1-3).
Work cited:
Smith, Caroline and Lindsay, James M. “Rally ‘Round the Flag: Opinion in the United States before and after the Iraq War.” Brookings, June 1, 2003. Net. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/rally-round-the-flag-opinion-in-the-united-states-before-and-after-the-iraq-war/
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Protests against the run-up to the invasion had been taking place every Saturday morning on the corners where two major highways (US Hwy 101 and OR Hwy 126) met in the heart of Florence. I did some shopping at the nearby Safeway store one Saturday, saw that protesters were present on the corners, and decided to join them, thinking, How can I be critical of what the President is doing and not participate in these demonstrations?
I took a place on one of the corners, beside two women, neither of whom I knew. Every protester present was a stranger to me. One of the two women told me to expect a visit by one or several staunch supporters of the President. All right, I thought. This could be interesting.
Minutes later a somewhat squat, burly guy approach us. He was wearing a hat that indicated he was a veteran. He stopped about three feet from us and proceeded to stare us down. We gazed back at him neutrally.
At last, he said, a sneer animating his face, “I wanted to get a good look at you!” He scrutinized in particular me. I returned his expression.
“You ever been in the service?” he asked, disrespectfully.
“Yeah. Two years in the Army. 1958 to 1960.”
He looked surprised. “I was in Korea,” he countered. A few seconds passed. He questioned how I could oppose the reasons Bush had for invading. I answered that his statements were “simplistic.”
“Simplistic,” he scoffed and walked away, headed to scrutinize another group.
This experience caused me to write this letter.
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A veteran of the Korean War said he wanted to “get a look at” our faces at our April 12 rally in Florence opposing President Bush’s war and his domestic agenda. I salute him for having served in Korea. I would salute him for having the conviction to express his point of view had he not been rude. I disagree with his assertions that we are unpatriotic and that we should withhold our demonstrations until the war in Iraq is finished.
Protesting a wrong is not unpatriotic. It does not connote lack of support for our soldiers. These young men and women put in harm’s way by the president are our nation’s treasure. May they safely and humanely finish the task put upon them. Every American prays for their security and also, I would hope, that of noncombatant Iraqis. What we protest is Bush’s unilateralist policy!
Our demonstrations must continue. We must indicate to mindful Americans that this administration has made considerably worse just about every one of our domestic and international problems.
Not to demonstrate is to suggest that the president’s domestic agenda is not destructive of civil rights, health and environmental protections, fiscal stability and fair economic practices. Not to demonstrate is to validate his foreign policy of intimidation and pre-emption, of transforming Uncle Sam into the world’s bully, of saying, “We have the greatest military; we know best; we are going to make sure the world complies with our interests.”
Printed April 20, 2003, in the Eugene Register-Guard
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Several weeks later American flag poles, inserted in holes drilled in sidewalks in downtown Florence, stood like sentinels on parade. Quite a display of patriotism, I thought, driving past. I learned that the city official responsible was a staunch Republican. A day or so later I submitted this letter to the local paper.
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A few words regarding the intended display of hundreds of American flags throughout the town on forthcoming Sundays.
If they are displayed to honor the sacrifices of our soldiers “in circumstances beyond their control” as well as to express our love of country, yes, do it.
If they are displayed to deflect criticism of and/or to extol the Bush administration and the Republican Party, such an action is out of line.
Let us hope that patriotism and politics are not being mixed.
Printed May 17, 2003, in the Siuslaw News
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