We Live on Borrowed Time

[image error]Tom Hayden on his 76th birthday with his two Norman Rockwell War Bond printsTalking points for Democrats and Activists

 by Tom Hayden

"I know, therefore, that we live on borrowed Time." Ending the War in Iraq, 2007, p. 208

1. We Need to understand, name, blame, and frame the Long War Doctrine.

The Long War Doctrine--advanced by Pentagon planners and neo-conservatives almost ten years ago--projects up to 80 years of US military intervention to "win" the battle with radical jihadists. The implications are almost unthinkable to most Americans, or at least they have been until now.

Eighty years means 20 presidential terms, twice as many congressional sessions, and bloodletting beyond description, with costs that exceed decades’ worth of GDP—not to mention our political capacity. Can it possibly be winnable or affordable, and based on unified public opinion? Will it bankrupt our budget for health care, social security, education, and climate/environmental protection? Politically, few Republicans or military officials have wanted to open this discussion up to the American people—yet it's a crucial dimension we need to insert into public debate right now.[i]