I’m still planning on joining the local vigil in support of Cindy Sheehan’s quest. We’ll be at Beacon and Washington St. in Brookline, 7:30-8:00. If you’d like to find a vigil in your town, check with MoveOn.org.

Of course, this isn’t really about Cindy’s quest. Her quest is symbolic. If she meets with President Bush, nothing will change. Frankly, I hope Bush keeps responding callously because it serves my political purpose of highlighting his administration’s disconnection from reality: Politicized evidence of the existence of WMDs to get us into the war, low-ball estimates of the required number of troops, embedded journalists, no photos of coffins, Rumsfeld using an automatic pen to “sign” condolence letters to parents. That’s how Bush keeps a “balanced life.”

Saddam was an evil man who caused unfathomable suffering. Had the world been told from the beginning that that’s why we were invading, maybe Bush could have put together a genuine global coalition. Maybe some non-Neocons could have assessed the reality of the situation so we’d be prepared for the chaos afterwards. (Wolfowitz’s first idea, according to Woodward’s book: American troops would occupy the oil fields while the Iraqis spontaneously rise up against Saddam.) Maybe we would have a realistic plan for how to help Iraqis build a country that from the start was a forced fit. Maybe, with some reality there could also have been some honesty, instead of hidden torture and massive corruption. Maybe I would feel safer from terrorism instead of more at risk.

I don’t want to deny for a minute the good that comes from overthrowing a tyrant like Saddam. It is important to keep that in mind. And I don’t think we can simply leave. We need a plan that will help the Iraqis build the best lives they can for themselves and help them avoid the civil war that’s brewing. I’m no expert, but I guess that such a plan would include increased involvement by the rest of the world, talking with all Iraqi parties, perhaps the long-term availability of UN peacekeepers. If that’s the wrong plan, then let’s come up with another. But it’s sure a shame we didn’t have a plan before we invaded.

So, if tonight someone asks me why I’m standing quietly for thirty minutes holding a candle, I’m not going to have a simple answer. It has something to do with remembrance, and remembrance has to do with committing to reality. I’m not so much against the war — I still think I was right to be against it before it began — as I am in favor of pausing for thought. [Tags: iraq CindySheehan politics]

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