STARVE THE BEAST - OBAMA STYLE

Under Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush, conservatives opposed to any government spending, other than on militarism and protection of economic elites, implemented their policy of "starve the beast". It involved not outright closing down social programs, but instead, simply reducing or eliminating their funding, hence the term starve the beast.

Now under President Obama, we are seeing a bit of that same strategy in regard to our criminal Afghanistan war. Several months ago General Stanley McChrystal publically proclaimed we needed an immediate infusion of 40,000 to 60,000 more troops to prevent mission failure in Iraq. Instead, President Obama has embarked on a two month long "review" of the Afghan mission without a single extra soldier being sent, much to the outrage of the war party.

Every day that goes by without a decision by the President is another day of starvation for our senseless and failed and unnecessary beast we call American exceptionalism in the Middle East.

Unlike his predecessor, this President knows a real beast when he sees one.

Also published in the Chicago Tribune, November 25, 2009