Editorial: A Story About Entitlement

When I was in elementary school, every year each of the classes would have a geography bee, with the winners of each class going on to the larger school competition. I was in the 4th grade the first year I was eligible to complete, and I won my class. From the class I went on to the school, where I finished in 3rd place. It was quite an achievement for me, considering that I was competing with kids in the 8th grade.

The next year, after the kids who had beaten me the year before had graduated, I expected to win my class again, and hopefully win the school. But first, I would have to get through the classroom competition.
It was a tough fight, going into extra questions as I was tied with a couple of my other classmates in a sudden-death round.

I don't remember what the question was, but I remember that the answer was the Himalayan Mountains. I wrote it down, but before I turned the paper in, in a cruel act of second guessing, I scratched out the answer and put down another mountain range.

I got the question wrong, and I lost. Even though almost 20 years has passed since then, I still remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and the swimming feeling in my head as I realized that I had just blown the opportunity. I took the paper up to my teacher, hoping to get credit, but she said no. I lost. I went home and was miserable for the next few days.

There is little doubt that Hillary Clinton had every reason to expect that she would be the Democratic nominee for President. I certainly thought so. Hell, even Maureen Dowd wrote about Hillary Clinton v. Jeb Bush in one of her columns eight years ago. She had the money, she had the establishment, she had the pedigree. What she didn't seem to have was what Kos likes to call "fire in her belly".

When you approach something like you're owed it, you get complacent. I grew complacent during my geography bee (20 years later I am prepared to admit that the reason I changed my answer was because I saw another classmate's answer and it was different than mine), and that's why I lost.

When Hillary got to Iowa, she fully expected to win. But her message and personality fell flat, and once Iowa is over and the momentum has swung against you, it's hard to put that genie back into the bottle.

So then came the backlash and disillusionment of Clinton, along with her campaign staff and many of her supporters. They realized that they had just blown their golden opportunity, and that it was fully their own fault.

If human beings are good at anything, it's projecting their own faults and mistakes onto others. I did it when I went crying home to my dad saying "it's not fair". The Clintons and their campaign do it by complaining about the media and the process; many of the supporters do it by crying sexism. (The cheapening of the words sexism and racism is another thing that bothers me, but I will save that for another diary)

The difference between Hillary Clinton losing and little nicweb losing is about $200 million. If I had that kind of money back then, maybe I could've convinced someone that I had actually won.

But in the grown-up world, that usually isn't enough. So while the Clinton supporters cheapen the word sexism, watering it's meaning down to the point where it may temporarily go into an abuse-exile, John McCain is benefited, turned into the political giant we all know he is not.

Sometimes I wonder if it's the passion and love for a candidate that drives the vitriol. The more exposure I get to this, the more I think not. Although I sincerely do believe that a great deal of the hate that has transpired is due to Obama's race (This is not an excuse. Look at the exit polls from WV if you don't believe me), I believe that the majority of the anger comes from Clinton's inability to take advantage of her great opportunity.

In a side note, the young man who beat me in the geography bee went on to win it for the entire school. He then proceeded to beat me every single year through the eighth grade. He became one of my best friends, and was my roommate in college. How's that for unity?

Editorial: The Pissing Contest

McCain no sooner started his speech again — announcing he would seek to reduce global nuclear stockpiles — when he was interrupted once more by anti-war protesters.

“What about Iraq? What about Iraq?” one shouted. Another unfurled a banner that said, “Iraq vets against the war.”

When the larger crowd shouted down the protesters again, McCain quipped, “This may turn into a longer speech than you had anticipated.”

“And by the way, I will never surrender in Iraq, my friends. I will never surrender in Iraq,” he added emphatically to applause and laughter. “Our American troops will come home with victory and honor."

War is not a pissing contest.

John McCain knows this better than most, I suspect. He was, after all, born into a family of warriors, officers in the great American War Machine, waging battle against evil empires and despots in foreign lands. He was born into this family of warriors and winners, pre-destined to pick up the pike and charge onward from Rome, eyes unfazed at the sight of the enemy.

And fight he did, honoring his family in a great war in Asia, his heroism cemented in our history as a captive, tortured and maimed. But unlike the great wars that preceded him, there would be no American victory in John McCain's War. Defeat does nothing to lessen the pain of sacrifice. The hangover of defeat lingers.

So we move forward, the young become the old, taking the place of their forefathers in instigating the battles of youth. In doing so, they choose to refight their own battles, using a new generation as a proxy to win, to recapture the honor they feel they lost when the last helicopter left Saigon.

War is not a pissing contest.

For John McCain, I fear his war never ended. "I will never surrender in Iraq", could easily be supplemented with ", like we surrendered in Vietnam" or "because we were made to surrender, when I know we could've won".

McCain's quest for honor and victory becomes a dangerous game when your victory has already been won, and the honor of the warriors is not questioned. The War in Iraq was fought and won in a matter of weeks, its government toppled and its armies cast to the wind. The young men and women who wage this war have their victory; they have their honor.

America's War Machine managed to encroach upon the boundaries of a sovereign nation and occupy it in quick and brutal war. But regardless of how good we've become with the war, it is peace where we failed so miserably.

We will be not be able to force peace on Iraq. The discontent is rooted in thousands of years of history, which we as a nation cannot fully understand. They will have to sort this out on their own, and I fear that as an occupying force, the only way we will bring them together will be in their mutual displeasure in our presence.

The language of honor, and disdain by John McCain comes across as machismo, like this war is a pissing contest by which your manliness is decided by how badly you want the war to continue. It makes me wonder if McCain truly believes that our country, and the men and women serving it, are dishonored by coming home, by leaving to figure out peace on its own.

Let us not become hostages to words like surrender and dishonor. War is not a pissing contest. Peace is not dishonor. Surrender is not an option. We have won the war. The peace will have to sort itself out on its own.