HALF A MILLIONAIRE

The mother: I would like to thank you for meeting with me.

The president: I am here to answer your questions.

The mother: I lost my son in the Iraq war. I just want to ask you this question: Why did you send him to war?

The president: On September 11, 2001, more than two thousand innocent Americans, 2976 to be exact, were killed. It was one of the saddest days of my life. They died on my watch. And, I promised myself that I would do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening again. I had to smoke the terrorists out of their holes.

The mother: I just don’t understand. Thousands died. And, you wanted thousands more to die by going to war. I lost my loving son. We could have just ignored the terrorists. We could have found a more peaceful solution.

The president: I did not “want” anyone to die. But, I was fully aware of the fact that war would bring destruction and casualties. And as an elected leader, I had to make the difficult decision and live with the consequences. That is why I am talking to you.

The mother: But, the evidence shows that Iraq was not a threat to our country. Saddam Hussein had no WMDs. Many believe that you went to war for oil. There was no honor in the war. My son lost his life for nothing.

The president: I knew soldiers were dying. I knew innocent people were dying. I knew about these losses. But, I believed and still do now that I did the right thing because they are now on the run. They have to hide in the mountains and live in caves. Eventually, they and their violent ideology will die. At the time, I had to make my decision based on the intelligence presented to me. Congress and I, we as a nation, declared war on them. I know that each soldier has a mother. I feel your pain everyday. I feel the pain of the other mothers as well. Our young men and women make the decision to join the military to protect our nation. I never wish for them to die. But, I was their leader and I had to do what I believed to be the right thing. They understood that. I understand that my explanation will never bring back our sons and daughters. Sometimes, I just want to feel that pain in silence because I myself is a father. My wife understands what I am talking about.

The mother: I must hear it from you. Did we go to Iraq for oil?

The president: We fought two wars because we wanted to eliminate the terrorist network or disrupt it. We also wanted to strengthen our position in the region because we knew that our nation’s security depends on it. I am not just talking about oil. It includes intelligence network and building stronger ally relationships. Our men and women understood the strategic importance of the wars. Our brave men and women understood what they were sacrificing for. The other two thousand plus innocent Americans did not know that they would be killed on 9/11. These innocent Americans have families, too. More than that, they belong to our American family. I will never let it happen again.

The mother: Why can’t we just improve our defense here at home? We did not have to spend so much money and lose more lives to have security. 

The president: I love peace. But, sometimes, war is necessary because our current enemy is just pure evil. Their objective is to terrorize free societies by killing innocent people. They hate freedom and democracy. They will not stop attacking us until we bring destruction on them. History will judge me. People will judge me. I am aware that many Americans disagree with me now. But, I am also sure that there are a few who agree with and understand my action. I am ready to be judged by God, and my loving wife will be there to support me. And, honestly, she is the only one that I need. I am at peace with my conscience. I am sorry I have to stop here. I just want you to know that I feel the sorrow and loss that you and many Americans have to endure. I am not going to say, “I am sorry”, to you and others because it is not enough. But, I want to tell the American people that I am taking full responsibility for the consequences of my decision. History and God will judge me.