Only the Good Die Young

Foreign Policy has an excellent summary of John McCain’s views on military expansionism from his first term as a congressman to his opinions on the current situation in Iraq.

“An examination of McCain’s stances on intervention, however, reveals not mixed signals but a steady transformation of worldview. The young Vietnam vet who once vocally opposed military overreach has become the elder statesman who passionately advocates the need for military action.”

This quote seems disgustingly prescient and unfortunately true:

“If you get involved in a major ground war in the Saudi desert, I think support will erode significantly. Nor should it be supported. We cannot even contemplate, in my view, trading American blood for Iraqi blood.” Aug. 19, 1990

I can’t imagine what made him change his mind…the situation in 1990 wasn’t considerably different than the situation in 2003. Iraq was still an Arab nation defined by its dictatorship and ethnic tensions. The United States wasn’t wildly popular nor was there a good reason for war.

Here’s another one, this time regarding the conflict in Kosovo:

“If we lose this war, the entire country and the world will suffer the consequences. Yes, the President would leave office with yet another mark against him. But he will not suffer that indignity alone. We will all be less secure. We will all be dishonored.” May 9, 1999

Fresh from his own military service in Vietnam, the horrors of warfare must have still been excruciatingly present in his mind. Back then he made the right decision for the right reasons: sending troops into foreign countries is a lot more complex than just military strategy. Their culture is different, their views of democracy are different, and no one is going to react too kindly to an extended occupation by a foreign power who looks different, speaks a different language, and dominates all interaction with a tangible air of superiority.

Putting troops on the ground is inherently destabilizing, warfare necessarily breaks down the normal structures of society and the greatest care should be taken to prevent such catastrophic destabilization as we’ve seen in Iraq. America’s foreign policy has operated far too long believing that we can bring about a worldwide Ameritopia solely by the power of freedom and democracy, consistently failing to appreciate the complexities of culture which lie hidden deep beneath the conflicts which on the surface seem so black and white. Sure, Americans tend to value freedom very highly (though this, regrettably, is becoming less and less true), but that doesn’t mean that everyone values liberty to the same degree.

When the pain, and the horror, and the confusion of a foreign war were still fresh in his mind Senator McCain had a much more distinct appreciation for the complexities of ground fighting…it seems that old age and time have withered away his palpable grasp on violent death and he has put ideology ahead of realism.