Friday, March 21, 2008

Thoughtful conversation

I really like Andrew Sullivan. Over the past few years, catching him now and then on a news or a talk show, he has seemed to me to represent what a thinking conservative might be, and I liked to listen to him because he made sense. I felt I could hear him and perhaps understand that "right of the right" movement in this country that wasn't informed by radical preachers screaming hellfire and damnation. So my ears would perk up when he appeared.

Because I truly respect his intellect, I searched and found his blog, and lo and behold, he is an Obama fan. Today I found a post there that said all that I wish I could paraphrase for my conservative friends who once supported the war and no longer do. Maybe they aren't as articulate but maybe these are the principles beneath what they are thinking that causes that shake of the head and frustration with Bush's war.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/03/what-i-got-wron.html#more

Most of my friends were with me protesting the war before it happened, left of center, I am not a total radical lefty liberal. Stacy calls us "progressive liberals" whatever that means. But wherever you fall on this balance, take a minute and read this post by Andrew about why he was wrong about Iraq.

And my grandsons have been there, are still there fighting, while even once strong supporters like Andrew Sullivan are rethinking their position. I would imagine that Steven, doing his job and doing his best, called against his will, but willing to serve, knows that up close, at the level he is doing it, it's good work. I honor him. The sadness at the highest levels of government in this country don't have anything at all to do with how I feel about young men willing to serve this country. It's a quandary, for sure.

So after a break from work, I'll go back to thinking about rock fragments, and iron content, and pH and horizons and quit worrying about my grandson in Iraq and all the missteps and ego that put him there in the first place

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