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Guest Commentary February 14, 2002
U.S. Must Look Beyond Rhetoric of War
The Honorable Robert Byrd
A nation's leaders have a responsibility to think beyond the stirring rhetoric of war, particularly in the case of what could be a long, costly global conflict, which may well unleash forces most of us only dimly understand, and which may cause great loss of life.
It is crucial that we all realize that the war on terrorism is not just a war of hot words. This war, like any war, must have tangible and achievable goals and objectives. There must be benchmarks by which to measure progress in attaining those objectives. And the American people must clearly understand what sacrifices must be made and what constitutes victory. These essential elements must be more clearly defined than they have been thus far.
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The patriotism that runs deep in Americans' veins, and the horrors of September 11, have aroused our emotions and galvanized our support for the fight against terror. But that support could wane, both at home and abroad, if the Administration does not carefully weigh its use of broad threats, undefined objectives, and the murky consequences of shackling both our domestic and foreign policies to a militaristic fervor which may not reflect realistic possibilities or sound choices.
We would do far better to hear clear explanations of our goals in the war on terrorism, and detailed justifications of our defense budget that use cold logic, rather than a hot head.
We are a powerful country, but we cannot hope to eliminate terrorism from the world without other nations by our side. A recognition of our limitations in that regard is critical. We are a rich country, but we can never spend our way into perfect national security. But we can strive to be a wise nation -- one that understands its extraordinary possibilities as well as its very real limitations on the global stage.
The President's 2003 defense budget amounts to an expenditure of $379 billion dollars – over $1 billion dollars a day – and the President is forecasting continued increases in the defense budget. We must not allow a bloated defense budget to eat away at our ability to fund other important priorities like Social Security, education, and health care, to name just a few.
The American defense budget should not be a cookie jar with goodies for every defense contractor lucky enough to afford a hefty lobbying budget. This nation is again in deficit status, and we must guard against committing huge sums for weapons that are not needed, which will only drive us deeper into debt and sap our overall economic strength.
Robert Byrd, a Democrat, is a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The above commentary has been adapted from a speech Sen. Byrd delivered on the floor of the Senate, February 13, 2002. To contact him, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
