Just months from now, U.S. Marine and Bowdoin senior Alex Cornell du Houx '06 will head to Iraq and risk his life for his country. This should have been a solemn and reflective time for our community, and a time for Cornell du Houx and his family to mentally prepare for his tour of duty. Yet, it appears that Dan Schuberth '06 saw it as an occasion to make a political statement. For Schuberth, secretary of the College Republican National Committee, to "question [Cornell du Houx's] logic and motivation" for doing his duty and to call him "one of the most vocal opponents of...our country" was reprehensible and devoid of reason.
Schuberth has every right to disagree with Cornell du Houx on matters of policy, but his comments became indefensible when he chose to attack Cornell du Houx's service instead of his beliefs. If Schuberth has a "Support the Troops" magnet on his car, his own hypocrisy would render those words hollow indeed.
The notion that a proponent of the war, who himself is not serving in the military, would attack his classmate for putting his life on the line simply because he disagrees with the Bush administration is, quite frankly, mind-boggling. We thought that he may have thought better of his remarks. We were wrong. He said he stands by his comments.
His statement raised some interesting questions. Would Schuberth rather have Cornell du Houx shirk his duty to the United States and quit the military because of his political beliefs? If Cornell du Houx had quit, would Schuberth have then attacked him for not serving his country? Finally, does he think all military personnel who disagree with the administration should no longer serve?
It's a shame that Schuberth cannot stop playing politics for even a moment to recognize his countryman's service without accompanying it with a vicious attack. One would hope that no matter how bitterly two political opponents disagree, they would be able to rally around someone's decision to take up arms in defense of America.
Apparently, a moment like this is merely another opportunity for Schuberth to try to score political points. Such a comment has no place in public discourse and highlights the very reason why so many distrust politicians.
The editorial represents the majority view of The Bowdoin Orient's editorial board. The editorial board consists of the editors-in-chief and the managing editor.