I have to say I’m not sure what to think of the Iraq PM’s “backing” of Senator Obama’s exit plan for Iraq. On the one hand, I want us out of there, but only — only — when we can do so without leaving this huge vacuum that could allow Iraq to descend into chaos and make it easy pickings for al Quaeda. We left Afghanistan too early when the Russians pulled out and look what happened there. We reduced our presence in Afghanistan to wage war in Iraq and look what’s happening now. I want them out, but I don’t want it turn into a disaster than can be held against a possible President Obama in 2012.
That being said, if we can get out of Iraq in 16 months and leave the country capable of taking care of itself then I’m all for it. We are still needed in Afghanistan — we should never have reduced our presence there to take on Iraq.
Normally, I don’t get bogged down in the minutiae of policy. Mostly, it just bores the shit out of me, but Senator Obama’s recent so-called flip-flops have been annoying me. It was great to read his Times op-ed outlining in detail his plan for Iraq. It made a lot of sense to me and I think it will go a long way in shutting some people up and pushing back at Republican/McCain attacks.
Well, it’s Independence Day weekend, so of course we have to trot out the Founding Fathers. A recent poll shows that nearly 70% of Americans think the Founding Fathers would be disappointed in the way America has turned out. First of all, I think polls like this are beyond stupid because no one can truly know what men born nearly 250 years ago would think of 21st century America. Second, all that being said, I don’t think that it’s necessarily true George, Thomas, Benjamin, et al., would be completely disappointed in America. Sure, there are certainly paths our country has taken now and again they might have found wrong-headed and downright stupid, but overall our country has turned out pretty damn good. When you look at the rest of the world America looks good. People still scramble to get into this country by whatever means, you can still live the American dream, we are still one of the most free countries on the planet, and politics aside America is a great place. We certainly have some things that need changing, but that doesn’t detract from just how great this country has become since that fateful day in 1776 when our Founding Fathers said enough to King George III. We’re not perfect, but who said we had to be?
Nothing annoys me more about Republicans than this perceived support for the militarya and our troops they’re suposed to have and Democrats lack. Time and again, we read reports like this that show our troops of underpaid, under-trained, and ill-equipped at a time when they need all that and more. President Bush, the Republican-led Congress, and far too many Democrats took us into a war in Afghanistan (which I supported) and another war in Iraq (which I certainly did not support), but they haven’t taken care of the men and women they’ve put in harms way. More sadly, those who make it home, especially the injured, are finding a Veteran Affairs that is also under-funded and ill-equipped to help them. It’s just sad.
John McCain just doesn’t get it. Americans have been very clear, large numbers of of them have been very clear, that we need to get the hell out of Iraq. Election 2006 was a referendum on President Bush’s Iraq policy. Even Republicans are saying enough is enough. Yet, Mr. McCain has the temerity to say Americans would not care if our troops were in Iraq “…for one hundred years or a thousand years or ten thousand years”! Talk about being out of touch with reality.
John Gioia, a Vietnam veteran, is “disgusted” that liberal, anti-war MoveOn.org would have the temerity to donate money to the USO so troops would have phone cards to call home during the holidays. It’s the stupidity of people like Mr. Gioia, and I’m fully aware that he’s served his country but that does excuse this stupidity, who think only those who follow lock-step with the administration are allowed to show their support for the troops. The USO is meant to be a non-partisan organiation who’s sole purpose is to “support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services,” so why are only certain groups allowed to support the USO? This is a prime example of what’s wrong with our country when people who have something to give, out of the kindest of their hearts and nothing more, are vilified simply because they disagree with this administration. Shame on you, Mr. Gioia, and all who are like you.
Stories like this are hard to take. Our government wastes so much money fighting this unnecessary war yet the families of the wounded are barely acknowledged by this President or his administration.
Chuck Norris says the surge is working. Thank God we have Chucky to set us straight.
Tell me, what’s so “dangerous” about giving troops a longer rest period between deployments? I’m certainly no military expert, but wouldn’t allowing troops more time to rest, relax, and restore themselves between deployments actually make them safer in the long run? Maybe someone needs to explain that to Sec. of Defense Gates.