Iraq: Moral Responsibility
March 28, 2008 – 4:19 pmMcCain, Clinton, and Obama (here and here) have all given big speeches recently to mark the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war. The Kibitzer, a midwestern Lutheran who is “temperamentally conservative with a weakness for radical politics,” points out that both McCain and Obama are staking out moral positions on Iraq:
[McCain] makes the only case for staying in Iraq that has any persuasive power for me […] I can understand the reasoning that says we have a moral obligation to the Iraqis now that we have busted up their country. No doubt many Iraqis would feel betrayed by us.
However, I think Obama also has a clear, moral case, though he did not put it in those terms. Our responsibility is to America first, though it may seem like a cold-hearted thing to say.
Is it possible that the best — or least bad — Iraq policy might draw on both rather than one of those moral positions?
tags 2008 barackobama iraq johnmccain midwest



