A Personal Memorial

I have not seen much attention payed to a heart-wrenching op-ed in Sunday's Post from BU professor Andrew Bachevich, who lost his son in Iraq earlier this month. The column, which you should read in it's entirety is a damning indictment not only of the proponents of the war, but of its critics, for whom Bachevich has been a prominent voice, as well. He writes of his own public opposition to the war:

Not for a second did I expect my own efforts to make a difference. But I did nurse the hope that my voice might combine with those of others -- teachers, writers, activists and ordinary folks -- to educate the public about the folly of the course on which the nation has embarked. I hoped that those efforts might produce a political climate conducive to change. I genuinely believed that if the people spoke, our leaders in Washington would listen and respond.

This, I can now see, was an illusion.

The people have spoken, and nothing of substance has changed. The November 2006 midterm elections signified an unambiguous repudiation of the policies that landed us in our present predicament. But half a year later, the war continues, with no end in sight.

As we listen to the debate on the war play out in the coming months, we should keep Bachevich's words close at hand. For whom, and to whom are our political leaders really speaking, and when they do speak what are they actually saying? Bachevich faults himself for, despite what he saw as his best efforts, doing nothing. Is anyone, apart from the troops in the field, doing anything more?