Dan Savage on Oppression
No one would dispute Dan Savage’s liberal view of the world, Andrew Sullivan (in short not generally considered a political liberal to put it finely) points to his [Dan’s] latest article about why war with Iraq is worthwhile, his column was inspired by the anti Iraq war poster “No to War! No to Oppression!” -
“…You see, lefties, there are times when saying “no” to war means saying “yes” to oppression. Don’t believe me? Go ask a Czech or a European Jew about the British and French saying “no” to war with Germany in 1938. War may be bad for children and other living things, but there are times when peace is worse for children and other living things, and this is one of those times. Saying no to war in Iraq means saying yes to the continued oppression of the Iraqi people. It amazes me when I hear lefties argue that we should assassinate Saddam in order to avoid war. If Saddam is assassinated, he will be replaced by another Baathist dictator–and what then for the people of Iraq? More “peace”–i.e., more oppression, more executions, more gassings, more terror, more fear… …These developments–a Republican administration recognizing that support for dictators in Third World countries is a losing proposition; a commitment to post-WWII-style nation-building in Iraq–are terrific news for people who care about human rights, freedom, and democracy. They also represent an enormous moral victory for the American left, which has long argued that our support for “friendly” dictators around the world was immoral. (Saddam used to be one of those “friendly” dictators.) After 9/11, the left argued that our support for brutal dictatorships in the Middle East helped create anti-American hatred. Apparently the Bush administration now agrees–so why isn’t the American left claiming this victory?”