Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2016)
August 10, 2016 Page 7 O PINION Your Carpet Best Cleaning Choice Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Sacrifice Muslim Soldier Shouldn’t Have Had to Make Clinton’s record is much bloodier P eter C erto It was impos- sible not to be moved as Kh- izr and Ghazala Khan, two Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, stood before the Democratic National Con- vention and mourned their son Humayun, a U.S. soldier who’d been killed in Iraq. Humayun, his grieving father recalled, was “the best of Amer- ica.” Yet if it were up to Donald Trump, Khan said, the slain sol- dier “never would have been in America.” It was a compelling rebuke to the GOP nominee’s unrepentant calls to banish Muslims and immigrants alike. Trump, in his fashion, re- sponded poorly. The billionaire insisted that, like the Khans, he’s “made a lot of sacrifices.” He sneered that perhaps the be- reaved Ghazala had remained silent on stage because “she wasn’t allowed” to talk. by It was sad and ugly. But amid the word salad was a kernel of truth: “Hillary voted for the Iraq war,” Trump cried, “not me!” There at least, he wasn’t wrong. As a senator from New York, Clinton not only voted for the war, but was among its most vocal supporters in either party, eagerly rehashing the Bush ad- ministration’s claims that Sadd- am Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction. “I stand by the vote,” Clinton told the Council on Foreign Re- lations in late 2003, when those weapons had failed to material- ize. Six months later, Humayun Khan was killed by a car bomb in Iraq. He was one of 4,424 U.S. soldiers to die in that war — along with perhaps up to a million Iraqi civilians. The war in which Khan gave his life has been a political foot- ball for so long that it’s become hard to appreciate just what an enormous catastrophe it was — and remains. The invasion ex- ploded sectarian tensions across the Middle East and led directly to the rise of ISIS. As the worst refugee cri- sis since World War II unfolds across the Middle East and Eu- rope — and as ISIS terrorists murder innocents from Bagh- dad to Belgium to San Ber- nardino — the gaping wound we opened in Iraq sits beneath it all like a black hole, eviscer- ating human lives at a ferocious speed even 13 years later. Yet as late as her first pres- idential bid, Clinton refused to apologize for supporting the invasion. If you’re looking for “someone who did not cast that vote or has said his vote was a mistake,” she told Democratic voters in 2007, “there are others to choose from.” As her polling numbers soured, Clinton eventually did cop to making a “mistake” on Iraq. But that didn’t stop her, once she joined Obama’s ad- ministration, from supporting escalation in Afghanistan, deep- er involvement in Syria, and in- tervention in Libya’s civil war, which also ended disastrously. As a presidential candidate this year, Clinton remains com- mitted to launching a “no-fly zone” in Syria. What could go wrong? Well, in Iraq, a no-fly zone gave way to a full-scale inva- sion. In Libya, it gave way to regime change and a civil war. Both countries became basket cases and ISIS strongholds, leading the Obama administra- tion to launch new wars in each afterward — most recently with a huge U.S. bombing raid on Sirte, Libya. Is there any reason to expect Syria to turn out better? Clinton’s rhetoric on the Muslim world might be friend- lier than Trump’s, but her re- cord is much bloodier. Even while she condemns Trump’s erratic statements on foreign policy, there’s no evidence she sees any need to redraw her own hawkish playbook. The Humayun Khans of America, who freely offer their lives to protect their country, de- serve a better approach — one based on diplomacy and human rights. And so do the millions of people of the Middle East, Muslim and otherwise. OtherWords.org editor Peter Certo writes about foreign pol- icy for the Institute for Policy Studies. Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) : $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949
