Posted by Dave on 05/22/07 at 02:19:26 pm
Categories: Political Ravings, Foreign Affairs

Well, it sure was a good thing that Democrats got elected last fall, eh? Because they were going to do something different with Iraq, right?

Or not:

Congressional Democrats plan to send to President Bush a war-spending bill without a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, two Democratic leadership aides tell CNN.

As I have said for a long time, there is little difference between those that call themselves Democrats and those that call themselves Republicans, especially in terms of foreign policy and the current war in Iraq.

Oh, how I long to see true political change in this country.

Then again, maybe I am hoping for something that will never change. William Cavanaugh has this to say:

... moral judgments about war, like all moral judgments, are not primarily a matter of good information. Good information is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for sound moral judgments. Sound moral judgments depend on being formed in certain virtues. Why a Christian should assume that the president of a secular nation-state would be so formed – much less enjoy a certain "charism" of moral judgment – is a mystery to me.

While Cavanaugh focuses on the president, it is not different for the U.S. Senators or Representatives.

Can we (I) ever expect leaders of a nation-state to hold similar values and morals as we (I) do? Can we, and should we, expect these leaders' decisions and judgments to be "formed in certain virtues."

I am not convinced that the answer is no. I am not convinced that this is something that we cannot and/or should not expect. But I am also not sure how to go about having an impact on how such values are formed.

| Permalink