Steve Brauntuch: The search for an ultimate goal in the anti-war movement

Say what you want about this whole war in Iraq deal, but you've gotta admire the willpower of anti-war protesters.

Even in the face of clear defeat, they stick it out, marching downtown, blocking traffic, going nose-to-nose with police officers. It takes pure, unwavering moral conviction to do some of this stuff, and these people certainly have it. And while you'd be hard pressed to compare this week-old war to Vietnam, these protesters are doing their best to ensure that the legacy of this war is not all positive.

Here on campus, the most dedicated students have set up shop in Houston Hall, manning a 24-hour booth in an effort to keep the student body informed about the latest developments in the war and in the protest movement.

For members of an apathetic generation, these students seem awfully intent on making their voices heard.

That being said, it strikes me that one thing is consistently missing from the anti-war protests I have seen in the past week or so. There are signs, chants and peaceful demonstrations, but no one seems to be offering an alternative now that the war has begun.

Obviously, it's not quite that simple. If there is a clear alternative, I'm pretty sure protesters around the world would be banging down the Pentagon doors with a solution. And in fairness, these protesters are the same people who steadfastly advocated the diplomatic route before this whole thing got started. They'll probably be the ones yelling the loudest for a peaceful transition in Iraq once this thing ends.

But until this war runs its course, what is the ultimate goal of these protests? Do anti-war protesters really believe that pulling out of Iraq at this very moment is a good idea? Don't they think there will be far more complications if we leave before we even take a crack at overthrowing Saddam Hussein?

Talk about a diplomatic nightmare. Can you imagine what pulling out now would do to our international credibility? It's been 60 years since World War II, and we still don't respect the French after they offered the Germans some croissants and a warm shower on their way to taking Paris. We can't feasibly forge a coalition against the wishes of the United Nations and then call it a day when we make it past the Tigris River.

Here's the thing, though: I don't think protesters really believe there's another option right now. I think everybody on this campus is smart enough to realize that once we've gotten this far, we have to finish the job. And by the same token, I think everybody here wants us to avoid as many casualties as possible and get our troops home as quickly as possible.

So if they're not advocating a U.S. pullout, what would these protesters like our government to do? What measure would make them stop protesting? I really don't know, and I'm getting the sense that many of the protesters don't really know either.

I'm in no position to judge whether or not these protesters are right in their opposition to war. While these people were being politically active last weekend, I was overly concerned with the Arizona-Gonzaga double overtime game (fantastic game, by the way, although I did get the sense that Dan Rather didn't quite share my enthusiasm. "When news breaks out, we'll break in." Clever, but not heartfelt.).

But while I have a lot of respect for what they're doing, I'd be much more inclined to listen to protesters if I saw a realistic goal in their demonstrations.

What would be the ideal scenario? Would protesters really be happy if police officers just let them be as they sat in the middle of the street? Would they be happy if we turned our soldiers around and watched Saddam celebrate his "victory" over U.S. troops?

It's extremely important that voices of dissent are heard during a war. And since it's certainly not coming from anybody at the top, it had better come from people with much stronger moral convictions. But if you're going to protest this war as the troops inch closer to Saddam's palaces, you've gotta have an ultimate goal.

If you support a peaceful U.S. occupation of Iraq after the war -- or if you believe the troops should take off once they throw out Saddam -- then say that as many times as you want. Even if you support an immediate U.S. pullout, feel free to scream it until you're blue in the face.

If you're going to demonstrate against this war, signs that say "War is Bad" aren't gonna cut it. Find a reasonable, peaceful solution to this whole mess and promote it. That'll turn some heads.

Steve Brauntuch is a junior Communications major from Tenafly, N.J. and editorial page editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.