Speaking about the prospects for a congressional resolution opposing President Bush's announced new policy in Iraq, Obama said Monday:
I think we will get a majority of the Senate saying that this is a bad idea. That will give us, I think, the impetus and the political symbolism to then start pursuing a more concrete plan to . . .Once he got this far into his sentence, I thought I could guess what he was going to say next. I thought the next words out of his mouth would be something like "stop the bloodshed in Iraq," or "bring stability in Iraq to the extent that we can start to bring our troops home," or maybe even "constrain the terrorists."
Imagine my shock when the actual words he used to finish the sentence were:
". . . constrain the president."Is that what this is all about? Is Iraq just one more theater in the political war in Washington between Republicans and Democrats? Is there less concern for who wins in Iraq than there is for who wins in the next general election?
How disappointing that we should hear such a statement from someone who today took the necessary legal step to allow fundraising for a possible presidential campaign.
Peace is the goal, senator, not the White House.
Please keep your eye on the goal. Don't let flatterers and hangers on who see you primarily as a tool to advance their own personal careers in Washington distract you from the real goal.
4 comments:
Tim, come on, no matter what Bush does the Dems and the media will hate him. It's become a big political game. Bush is the whipping boy of the world, which makes me like him even though he has made mistakes - who hasn't? However this game is deadly serious and we need politician willing to sacrifice for their principles, that's why suddenly John McCain looks so different from the crowd. Keep up the good work.
John
John, thanks for your comments. Yes, everyone makes mistakes. People who distinguish themselves as having good character take responsibility for those mistakes.
Since you like President Bush, I hope you are doing everything you can to help him take responsibility for his mistakes. This would include analyzing his recent Iraq policy and pointing out to him any false underlying assumptions or areas where it can be improved.
Tim, that process is taking place now. America did not lose In Iraq. We toppled one of the most gruesome dictators in the 20th cent. Gave million of Arabs the right to vote. America made mistakes - and who had any idea that people would hate each other so much - did you - but clearly won. The Arabs themselves have yet to win.
John, you seem to be the only one leaving comments on this blog. I really appreciate your help.
I wonder, though, whether the win-or-lose paradigm is the best way for us to look at this. This is not a sporting event or an election, where two sides fight it out and, at a predertimened point, compare scores and decides who has won and who has lost. This is not even a war in the classical sense, where at some point one side capitulates and signs a document acknowledging defeat.
What if we ask a different question? What if we ask, "Has America created peace in Iraq, the region and the world?" Or at least, "Have America's actions in Iraq since March 2003 been a net positive for the creation of peace in Iraq, the region and the world?"
My answer to both questions is "no," and I think the vast majority of people in the world -- I'm not just talking about the United States -- agree with me.
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