The Politicans vs. The Soldiers

Tomorrow is the 9th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that have defined American society, culture, politics and policy ever since.

This triggering event set into motion a series of actions that are still causing death and destruction to this very day. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan send American men and women (and those on the “other side”) to their deaths on a daily basis.

While no one will argue that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein, there is some disagreement whether or not the world—and the Middle East in particular is a SAFER place. The vacuum created by the removal of Saddam has been filled by an increasingly aggressive Iran, now directing their venom not at neighboring Iraq—but rather at the United States.

How it will all work out is a mystery.

The one constant throughout history is that politicians, in their Armani suits and polished shoes—make decisions over brandy and cigars that cost the lives of young people who are dispatched to battlefields across the globe. Their clinical, sterile assessments of predicted casualties and perceived strategic advantages don’t take into account the human tragedy that is played out daily—as uniformed military officers knock on the doors of families to deliver the horrible news that their loved one has been lost in battle.

Not that these decisions are taken lightly—no, only the Saddams of this world will cavalierly send young people off to their deaths. Just the same, it is the soldier who pays the ultimate price for the inability of national politicians to solve problems without bombs.

Perhaps things were easier to understand in the black and white world that was World War II. It was good versus evil. It was the justified response to a direct attack by a sovereign nation on our soil.

Not so anymore.

Terrorist attacks, while perhaps facilitated by nations who harbor these thugs—are nonetheless carried out by rogue individuals. Crazed loners who misinterpret the doctrine of Islam to invoke Allah’s support for the death of Americans cannot be directly tied to the mission of an enemy nation.

So, in the absence of a target, we created one. Regardless of how you feel about the war in Iraq, it is a well established fact that this war to discover “weapons of mass destruction” was based on a lie. Upon this lie, we buried thousands of Americans, thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians and squandered billions of dollars of taxpayer money.

As critical as I can be of the media—and the American public’s perception of truth, I think that everyone has done a decent job of SEPARATING the REASON for the mission—devised by politicians---from the mission ITSELF, as executed by the hundreds of thousands of American men and women who don’t get to weigh in on its merits.

They just go.

They do their duty, bravely, valiantly and it is they—and their families—who suffer the consequences of all those bad decisions.

Watch the following video---and let me know if you are able to keep a dry eye. I couldn’t.



http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KTb6qdPu8JE



Leaving Iraq is the right thing to do. Exiting Afghanistan is also imperative, since it is abundantly clear that we cannot (and should not) impose our values or governmental structure upon a people not willing to adopt it. The former Soviet Union found out the hard way that Afghanistan is a quagmire of tribal feuding, violence and anarchy that even the best intentioned war cannot subdue.

The billions being spent there weekly (and it is about $2 billion a WEEK) would be better deployed rebuilding America’s infrastructure and investing in the energy technologies that will make the Middle East completely expendable as a source of energy. Take away our dependence on their oil and you conquer them without bloodshed.

We salute the men and women of our Armed Forces—the best in the world! And we also pray that our leaders will govern with a wisdom that realizes that war rarely solves problems. Oh, it did in the 40’s, when world domination was the objective of the Axis powers.

In today’s world, a smarter approach---diplomacy, intelligence data, targeted attacks at terrorist strongholds and the power of economic strangulation—are far better suited to maintain America’s leadership in the world.

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com