Code of Silence

I'm a pretty big fan of Bruce Springsteen, and I've been listening to The Essential Bruce Springsteen recently. This week's quote is from "Dead Man Walkin'" on that album. When I heard the song "Code of Silence," it struck me as something relevant to our current political situation. Even though the song, written in 1997 with Joe Gruschecky, is about the relationship between two people, it can also describe the relationship between the American people and the Bush administration. Here are some of the lyrics:

There's a code of silence that we don't dare speak
There's a wall between us and a river so deep
We keep pretending that there's nothing wrong
But there's a code of silence and it can't go on

Is the truth so elusive, so elusive you see
That it ain't enough baby, to bridge the distance between you and me
There's a list of grievance a 100 miles long
There's a code of silence and it can't go on

Well you walk with your eyes open
But your lips they remain sealed
While the vows we made are broken
Beneath the truth you need to reveal
Well I came to know now darlin'
Need to know what's going on
But come on, come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on

Now you walk with your eyes open
But your lips they remain sealed
While the vows we made are broken
Beneath the truth we fear to reveal
I need to know now darlin'
Need to know what's going on
So come on, come on, come on, come on


Much of what Springsteen sings about--broken vows, lists of grievances, code of silence, truth that needs to be revealed--can easily be read as commentary on the war in Iraq. In fact, his song is almost a musical version of the recent Chicago Tribune op-ed piece by Geoffrey R. Stone and William P. Marshall entitled "Secrecy, the Enemy of Democracy," which puts a charge on the American people not to blindly trust their president, but to insist on transparency in public policy. One of the most provocative lines for me in this essay reads, "Secrecy is the ultimate form of censorship because the people do not even know they are being censored." Knowledge is power, and in order to assert our power as citizens, we need to be informed about the president's policies and speak up. No more hiding behind the flag or the ideal of patriotism as the reason to blindly follow the president into Iraq.

The thing is, though--and I think this might scare me more than ever--the people have spoken, and Bush simply isn't paying any attention. Recent polls show over 60% of Americans opposing the war in Iraq, with some polls even showing that 70% of American people oppose sending more troops to Iraq. And then President Bush goes and announces his "surge." What is he thinking? He is so far out of touch with what the country wants; in fact, his recent plan forIraq has been met with condemnation from both sides of Congress. Bush is apparently stunned that his plan hasn't been met with approval.

It seems that this line from Springsteen's song is particularly applicable in this case:

Is the truth so elusive, so elusive you see
That it ain't enough baby, to bridge the distance between you and me.

The truth--be it the dismal military situation in Iraq, the lack of weapons of mass destruction, or even the people's opinion--isn't enough to change Bush's mind about Iraq, because he has his own personal agenda to accomplish there. We need leaders who will put the truth and the needs of their constituents first, rather than basing important public policies on what they, and they alone, think is right. As we gear up for the 2008 presidential elections, let's work to support candidates who promote transparency in governmental policies, rather than those who espouse secrecy and a "code of silence."