True, genuine courage is rare among politicians. They’ll declare themselves brave for having done the predictable.
This is not the case for Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, whose signature political stand over her long career was no doubt her truly brave stand just days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our nation.
As genuinely mournful as the rest of us in that terrible time, Lee nevertheless saw what most were not able or willing to see. In response to the Sept. 11 attacks, something of course had to be done. But what was put forward for a vote was a blank check for the executive branch to wage war, which Lee understood was the wrong response.
And so, Lee stood as the lone member of Congress to vote against the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.
“However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint,” she said on the House floor. “Our country is in a state of mourning. Some of us must say, let’s step back for a moment. Let’s just pause, just for a minute and think through the implications of our actions today, so that this does not spiral out of control.”
She continued, “Now I have agonized over this vote. But I came to grips with it today, and I came to grips with opposing this resolution during the very painful, yet very beautiful memorial service. As a member of the clergy so eloquently said, ‘As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.’”
Death threats and vicious attacks on her character followed, yet she stood firm on her principles. And in the end, she was right.
According to the Costs of War project out of Brown University, the 2001 AUMF has been invoked to justify military operations in at least 22 countries. It was also invoked to justify unconstitutional surveillance of the American people by the federal government. And it would be only the beginning of a long, costly and deadly campaign of military interventions around the world.
According to the Costs of War project, “Over 940,000 people have died in the post-9/11 wars due to direct war violence.” Millions more are estimated to have lost their lives due to the indirect impacts of war, including economic devastation and environmental contamination. Many millions of people were displaced or forced to flee their countries entirely. And on top of al that, this came at a cost of roughly $8 trillion spent or obligated to cover the long-term costs of war.
Barbara Lee, in the decades since her bold 2001 vote, has been a consistent and powerful voice for peace. And, notably, an advocate of returning decision-making about war to Congress, as the constitution demands.
Lee has been willing to speak up and speak out regardless of who is president. This included the Obama years, when the Obama administration chose to escalate tensions in the Middle East with ill-fated interventions in Yemen, Libya and Syria.
“We must learn the lessons of the past. Lessons from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and others,” she warned in 2013. “We must recognize that what happens in Syria does not stay in Syria; the implications for the region are dire. This letter is calling for a specific action: debate. Congress has a vital role in this process and constitutional power that must be respected. The American people are demanding this debate before we commit our military, our money, or our forces to Syria.”
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This approach is one she righteously maintains to this day. Just two months ago, this newspaper was pleased to run an op-ed from Lee making the case for restraint, diplomacy and peace in Gaza.
“It is our responsibility as the United States to wield our power and vast wealth to support our common humanity,” she wrote. “In this case, that means upholding international law, providing critical aid to Palestinians, supporting negotiations for the freedom of hostages, and helping to advance a political and diplomatic solution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side with security and peace.”
Though she came up short in her run for U.S. Senate, these pages will always remember her truly courageous and righteous stand for peace and diplomacy during a time of perpetual war.