Barbara Boxer has behaved despicably. During testimony by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she suggested that Secretary Rice can't understand the cost of war because she has no children:
"Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old and my grandchild is too young," Boxer said. "You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families."
There is a sense in which I think it helps to be a woman to understand how hostile this question is. The Reddess was apoplectic over it. "You wouldn't know because I have kids and you don't" is a putdown among women that is regarded as uniquely hurtful.
Beyond that,what is Sen. Boxer's point anyway? Is it that Condoleeza Rice does not care about casualties because they won't include her direct descendants? Is it that she can't understand the value of human life because she is not married and has no children?
Perhaps she was trying to emphasize that those who decide on war are making decisions about other people's lives, but that is both trite and inconclusive. There is no choice in Iraq which will result in no one dying and the idea that Secretary Rice does not understand the stakes because she doesn't have a child at risk is silly. One could just as easily argue that, if a President or Secretary of State did have a child in the military, his or her judgment would be impaired by a desire to preserve the life of a loved one as opposed to making a decison that is in the best interests of the nation.
Sen. Boxer's comments are an evasion of the real issues surrounding Iraq policy. Too often, rather than engage those with whom we disagree we impugn their motives or intelligence or compassion. We just can't fathom that intelligent people acting in good faith and who are just as moral and caring as we are might come to a different conclusion about important questions.
8 comments:
However, Barbara Boxer has proven that she is neither moral or caring. There is a word I would love to use to describe Ms. Boxer right now but the Shark does not appreciate profanity on his blog. Witch.
Boxer is as ignorant as the people who talk about Bush’s daughters joining the military.
One would hope for more from a U.S. senator.
This comment would anger me more if I wasn't familiar with the source. After watching politics pretty carefully over the last 10 years, I can confidently say Barbara Boxer is a complete idiot.
Remember, Boxer is one of those feminists who think stay-at-home moms are a waste of time, space, and resources too, and that it's preferable women plop their children in day care and get back to the office ASAP than stay home and care for them.
What a cruel and insensitive comment. Rice has committed herself to serving her country; to attack her as having no feelings or opinions because she does not have children is uncalled for.
While I am not sure why anyone should care, I have an occasional stalker who likes to remind people that, although I am an advocate of marriage, I am divorced. Because his comments - and speculations - affect other people, I delete these comments. However, in the interest of satisfying his or her curiousity, I can say 1) I do not claim to be perfect, 2) I did not "leave" my ex-wife and 3) I did not meet my current wife until after the first was gone - actually living abroad.
janstress
Although I have never lost a child in a war, I did bury two little girls following illnesses. I understand that there are those who think that I still don't understand because George Bush didn't "cause" my children to die in a war. Having been through this experience however, I believe that Condi (and others) can indeed feel empathy and compassion for those whose children die in Iraq (or otherwise). She is a human being. She buried both of her parents (my dad died 10 months ago so I am well aware that this is a very difficult loss in its own right). As a girl of 10, Condi lost two little friends to the horrors of racism. She overcame alot. Your post doesn't lead me to believe that you are uncaring because you haven't lost a child. I know nothing about you or what you have experienced. I do know that maybe you should think a bit before you imply things about people you know nothing about.
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