OBAMA'S WAR TRIFECTA IS NO PRIZEWINNER
In his 27th month as Commander In Chief, President Obama is now presiding over three unnecessary wars, all with a different level of investment on his part.
Obama opposed the Iraq war before it started, and never argued its legitimacy in serving America's national interests. He has reduced the number of soldiers in Iraq and ended official combat operations. So little news emanates from Iraq that most Americans don't realize we still have 50,000 soldiers there at dozens of military bases. Since taking office, 204 GI's have died, many times that have been injured; while bombings, murder and mayhem involving Iraqis are a grotesque daily legacy of America's criminal invasion eight years ago.
The nine and a half year old Afghanistan war is a different matter. To have any chance of getting elected in a country ruled by the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex, candidate Obama embraced this war for dear life. Had he taken the same position on Afghanistan as he did on Iraq, Obama may well have lost the Presidency to war hero and war lover John McCain who is the undisputed champ when it comes to exploiting false patriotism to promote endless war. Obama now must answer for 858 American soldiers and thousands of Afghans who have needlessly died there since he earned his License To Kill on January 20, 2009.
But even though he twice escalated troop levels in Afghanistan by tens of thousands upon taking office, Obama still had no war he could truly call his own. He finally got his chance to orchestrate America's greatest export when he pushed the button to unleash hundreds of cruise missiles upon the hapless mercenaries doing Muammar Gaddafi's dirty work in the Libyan civil war.
Now, instead having to appear helpless to control events like the insane Congressional budget battles leading inexorably to a governmental shutdown, unemployment that may never again drop below 9%, gas which is heading to $4 a gallon if not to $5, and the impending Japanese nuclear catastrophe that may well flip the globe into a new worldwide recession, Obama can blow all those unpleasantries off the front page with his cakewalk in Libya.
The President has learned well the lesson of leaders seeking to stay in power when events at home spin out of control with no solution in sight - start a military operation.
Obama opposed the Iraq war before it started, and never argued its legitimacy in serving America's national interests. He has reduced the number of soldiers in Iraq and ended official combat operations. So little news emanates from Iraq that most Americans don't realize we still have 50,000 soldiers there at dozens of military bases. Since taking office, 204 GI's have died, many times that have been injured; while bombings, murder and mayhem involving Iraqis are a grotesque daily legacy of America's criminal invasion eight years ago.
The nine and a half year old Afghanistan war is a different matter. To have any chance of getting elected in a country ruled by the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex, candidate Obama embraced this war for dear life. Had he taken the same position on Afghanistan as he did on Iraq, Obama may well have lost the Presidency to war hero and war lover John McCain who is the undisputed champ when it comes to exploiting false patriotism to promote endless war. Obama now must answer for 858 American soldiers and thousands of Afghans who have needlessly died there since he earned his License To Kill on January 20, 2009.
But even though he twice escalated troop levels in Afghanistan by tens of thousands upon taking office, Obama still had no war he could truly call his own. He finally got his chance to orchestrate America's greatest export when he pushed the button to unleash hundreds of cruise missiles upon the hapless mercenaries doing Muammar Gaddafi's dirty work in the Libyan civil war.
Now, instead having to appear helpless to control events like the insane Congressional budget battles leading inexorably to a governmental shutdown, unemployment that may never again drop below 9%, gas which is heading to $4 a gallon if not to $5, and the impending Japanese nuclear catastrophe that may well flip the globe into a new worldwide recession, Obama can blow all those unpleasantries off the front page with his cakewalk in Libya.
The President has learned well the lesson of leaders seeking to stay in power when events at home spin out of control with no solution in sight - start a military operation.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 6:47 PM
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