Staff Editorials

Protests could be better

Though American ground troops have crossed the Kuwait-Iraq border and American-led air forces have embarked on an unprecedented campaign to unseat Saddam Hussein and disarm the Iraqi regime, that is no reason for protesters to sit on the sidelines and wait out the war.

The number of Americans who are against the war is not negligible. The size and scope of the protests in New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco are powerful reminders that not everyone defers to the president during war. To stand in support of our troops, many of them our age, and to pray for a speedy conclusion to the military action neither contradict our right to protest Bush's initial decision nor undermine our patriotism.

To do more than merely voice dissent, however, protesters should define their messages clearly. There are many issues outstanding in the current conflict, including battle tactics, back-channel negotiations and postwar aims that need to be discussed before it is too late to effect change or persuade policymakers. Now that war has begun, protesters should do more than just record their opposition to the use of force.

Princeton students should actively follow the war, constantly debate policies and most importantly speak out for what they believe whether it be at dinner, in class or on Palmer Square in protest. — The Daily Princetonian Opinion Board

Wrong time for protests

In the months leading up to Wednesday night's initiation of hostilities in Iraq, there was a sustained public conversation. People on both sides — those who supported military action, and those who supported a broader role for diplomacy in dealing with Iraq — made their arguments, demonstrated their convictions, and attempted to steer events in the direction they found most welcome. Dedicated protesters, commentators and regular citizens all took part in the deliberative process America uses to make its national choices.

Now, that process has culminated in a decision. America has committed itself to a war, with the end object of removing the current Iraqi regime from power.

All Americans, regardless of where we stood in the earlier conversation, now should unite in respecting the democratic decision to go to war, and in hoping that the war goes as well as it possibly can. Early signs of large surrenders are encouraging; they suggest regular Iraqis are eager for a change and leave open the possibility that the war might be won without large casualties on either side.

Protests will become appropriate again if we as a society must debate how to rebuild a postwar Iraq, or if we find ourselves immersed in a quagmire bad enough to call our initial deliberative judgement into question. For now, however, they are misplaced. — David Robinson, Editorial Page Editor