HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Feb. 23, 2007 I really do want to believe that all Americans prefer success for our troops in Iraq. I want to believe that, if the sectarian violence could be quelled and the terrorist attacks squashed, and Iraq really did turn into a thriving democracy that all citizens of our country would be happy. I want to believe that all of us understand the importance of Iraq to the rest of the Middle East and the world as well as to the future of our own nation. I want to believe all of this; unfortunately, I don't. There is little doubt to me that one political party has strategically set itself up to benefit from failure in Iraq, and it is not the Republicans. In many ways, in fact, the Democrats have already benefited from the struggles encountered since Saddam Hussein's regime fell; they now control all of Congress and have their political eyes aimed squarely at the White House. Nobody really believes the Democrats would be holding the legislature now if there had been significant accomplishment in Iraq. Quite the contrary, measured success in Iraq could have cemented the Republicans in control of government for some time to come. Still, it does not concern me that politicians in Washington stand to lose their jobs from inadequate results. This is the way it should be in government or any organization for that matter. Results matter. Republicans in Congress have floundered in many ways in recent years and perhaps deserved what happened last November. (Although I still feel that Democrats offered virtually nothing as an alternative and are currently floundering themselves, struggling for a message and an agenda.) No, I have no problem with fat-cat politicians losing their jobs, from either political party. The real issue I have is, when the Democrats are so conveniently positioned to benefit greatly from complete failure in the Iraqi mission, how can we ever know that they have offered their level best as American leaders to garner success? We have seen endless carping and criticism of President Bush's handling of the war, but very little in the way of concrete alternatives to improve the results. We have watched legislators, some of whom are running for president, who voted for this war turn their backs as the situation toughened and provided little but empty rhetoric and meaningless political grandstanding. Again, it seems obvious to me that, if there was a significant turnaround in Iraq, the Democrat party might be in trouble. The American public wants success, not failure. Even many members of the national media would be eating crow under those circumstances, since so many of them are and have been openly against the Iraq invasion from the beginning. In this way, the media itself seemingly has something to gain from Iraq failure and does not appear to have much incentive to report accomplishments. To be honest, I do not believe the Democrats have offered their best for the purpose of achieving a win in Iraq. To me, they have offered virtually nothing. Some may say that President Bush started this war, so it is his mess to clean up. This mindset, however, is just indicative of the larger problem and has little basis in reality. Congressional leaders knew exactly what they were voting for in the fall of 2002, when Bush was given authority for war, and they knew exactly what would result. Further, when American military personnel are taking fire on the ground in this or any other country, it is indeed to the benefit of all of us that they succeed in their mission, and most of this nation was behind this endeavor at the onset and for a long period thereafter. It is true that President Bush pushed for this war, I feel because he saw a risk that we no longer had the luxury of ignoring, but that does not mean he owns it or will be the sole benefactor of its consequences one way or another. Perhaps the Republicans sealed their fate when they took control of both the legislative and executive branches of government. The inherent flaw in our political system is that, with so much money and influence at stake, the party which is out of power has little incentive to achieve meaningful results which the party in power can then take credit for in future elections. The minority party really has more to gain by things blowing up and going down the tubes. They can then point out how the people in control are messing up and merely emphasize to the public that they are an alternative without really committing to anything. The Democrats, for some time, have been in the position of not necessarily having to absorb the political consequences for government action or inaction. They have been able to sit back and simply critique, like those judges on "American Idol," who probably cannot sing half as well as most of those they are judging. Now, the Democrats are in control of the legislature and, while that has immense benefits, it also comes at a cost. They will be held accountable for results going forward, which is a much scarier position. It's easier to be that "American Idol" judge sitting with a cold Coke than the nervous person on stage waiting to perform, and for the subsequent judgment. Still, the Iraq War remains tied to President Bush and the Republicans even with Democrats now in control, and so its success or failure will still be viewed, unfortunately, from a partisan perspective. I happen to be a registered Republican and I make no bones about that. The Republican party values are most closely associated with what I feel is important in a society, and I do not recall ever voting for a Democrat. Yet, I do not hope and pray for victory in Iraq simply to make Republicans look better. In fact, that has virtually no impact on me whatsoever. I hope and pray for victory in Iraq because I believe it is what is best for the nation and the world and for our future safety on our own soil, and I would feel this way even if a Democrat had initiated the war. It is interesting how so many anti-war crusaders have labeled those with views similar to mine as being "partisan hacks," (or something similar) when nothing could be further from the truth. I guess this is evidence that people believe what they want to believe. There is no question that Washington, D.C. can be an ugly town, with backstabbing and manipulation that would make would make one of Batman's arch enemies squirm. At the end of the day, most politicos will do what is going to get them elected and re-elected. When that action, however, stands in direct contrast to what is best for the nation, the only beneficiaries are the politicians themselves. ------------ About the author: Ed Abraham is a concerned citizen living in flyover country, U.S.A., who happens to be truly disgusted by the loss of common sense in our society and is doing all he can to try to reinstall it. Email: eabra@myway.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
