Seriously. What happened to Iraq? I seem to distinctly remember protests, rallies, debates and ostracism of Iraq war supporters.
I seem to recall countless liberals (self-proclaimed, at least) who chastised anyone who believed that the world was better off without Saddam Hussein. Where are they now? Where are all those activists who cared so deeply for the plight of the Iraqi people?
I am the first to admit that I originally supported the Iraq war. When I was an impressionable 13-year-old, the media had a large impact on my views, and I figured that it was a good idea. But since then, my views have dramatically changed. Growing up in an incredibly liberal town, I was surrounded by people who, for whatever reason, believed differently from me. Which was fine, and as of this point, I agree with them - going to war in Iraq, in the long run, probably wasn't the best idea.
I never protested the war or complained about it. Truth be told, I never even really followed its progress much. But many other people did, and I realized a few weeks ago that I rarely saw articles in the news about Iraq anymore. In fact, rarely did the front page of any paper have anything to do with Iraq.
Am I the only one who has noticed this? It appears that the media has a pretty powerful effect on the populace. By covering other issues like the economy or the election, people's (incredibly) short-term memories completely moved on. The same people who were screaming about 3,000 war deaths and funds lost are now focused on subprime mortgages and delegate counts.
The same people who loved to talk about the failings in Iraq are the same people who liked to Bush-bash incessantly. They would constantly bring up how George Bush is the absolute worst president of all time, and should be impeached along with his entire administration. I haven't heard about how awful George Bush is in ages. I almost forgot he was even in office.
My point is that if you have an opinion that you like to preach to me, at least remember that you have it. Our forgotten war is the pinnacle of loud-mouthed ignorance. It only serves to remind that so many of the self-crowned pundits and political gurus that surround us are only as dumb and closed-minded as the cable news sound bytes and party lines that people spew.
It shows that most people, no matter how many facts they know, no matter how many slogans they spout, no matter how much they want to appear to be smart, are in fact not smart at all. I've met many people who follow the Democratic Party playbook like they worship Howard Dean.
And this is why, as of right now, I am stripping all of these phony activists of the title "liberal." Sorry, it's gone. The whole theory behind classical liberalism is personal freedom - the principle that everyone can think or choose however they please, and that the competition of those interests is efficient and good. How is thinking exactly what other people tell you liberal? It is, in fact, the opposite.
Here's the bottom line. To all those people who complained about Iraq until my ears bled and then forgot about it: you know who you are and you've betrayed your ideology. You are the same people that Bush-bash because it makes you feel cool, smart or righteous. And you know what? As time goes on, you're going to run out of things to complain about.
If you have an opinion, voice it. If you flake on it, you betrayed it. Only a fool and a zealot never changes his mind, but if you forget about your opinions without constant reminder, you're not a true activist.
Dave Adams is a freshman majoring in political science and economics.
