There is not doubt the nation as a whole has picked up a collective spring in its step this week. However, a week following the death of America's public enemy number one, Osama Bin Laden, has spurred different views depending on who you ask? I think we can put to rest the old adage that Democrats are week on national defense, at least for a while. The indecision and lack of strategy associated with the quagmire of Vietnam, and the image of several helicopters destroyed in the desert of Iran in 1979, were very vivid pictures associated with the military ineptitude of Democratic administrations. However, those fortunes took a big turn this week. President Obama after careful consideration chose a more difficult, yet gutsy call, to take out Bin Laden with a surgical strike by Navy SEALS. He opted to not use predator drones, or stealth bombers to obliterate the Bin Laden compound, but rather take him out with precision. The result: Bin Laden was killed, his body taken and buried at sea, and we got a treasure trove of intelligence from the Bin Laden compound, not bad for guy who supposedly leads from behind. Former President Bush this week refused an invitation to join President Obama at a wreath laying ceremony at Ground Zero. Which raises the question "Why Not?" Well it was Bush who ignored the intel in August of 2001 that an attack was coming, 9/11 happened on HIS watch, It was Bush who sat on his ass for 7 minutes when told "...America is under attack." It was Bush who let Bin Laden escape from Tora Bora. So for all the bravado about his 7 years of enhanced intel gathering he was unable to do what President Obama did. It is no wonder he declined, it would have been a picture of success and failure side by side.
As for Republicans, a full 39% give absolutely no credit to Obama for killing Bin Laden. While 81% of Republicans think George W. Bush should get the credit. Now I would love to give President Obama all the credit for this defining moment in American History, but I can't. The fact is there was a bevy of intel from both the Bush and Obama administrations that made this possible. So while I am overjoyed President Obama got to pull the trigger, the Bush administration in at least some small part helped load the gun. That being said, while all the torture advocates crawl out from their holes seemingly vindicated, there is a disconnect. The Bush Administration had 7 years to act on all their intel, The Obama Administration took 2. So for all the accolades the right is now pouring on the Bush Administration, the fact is if their intel was so great, why didn't they have an opportunity to do what President Obama DID? Well let me tell you how the President Bush got sidetracked.
When President Bush took office we had a budget surplus of about 200 billion dollars and the National Debt was about 5.6 Trillion. From 2001 to 2009 President Bush resided over the following:
1) The War in Afghanistan
2) The War in Iraq
3) 2 massive tax cuts for the rich
4) A prescription drug plan for senior citizens
All of which were UNPAID FOR.
5) And the grand finale, the collapse of the American Economy and the worst fiscal meltdown in decades.
President Obama gets tossed the keys to the White House by Bush with a 13 trillion dollar deficit which is now 14 Trillion, and coming to a Congress near you going up. You know Bin Laden's core ideology was not only to terrorize the West, but to bankrupt it trying to stop him. Mission accomplished? Maybe. Where were Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and the rest of the Republican right when they were increasing the deficit by 8 trillion dollars? So now President Obama comes into office and they want to destroy Medicare, Education, Organized Labor, Heating Assistance for the Poor, scream we have to get our fiscal house in order because of what they did, and ultimately don't balance the budget! It is nothing short of obscene! The Republicans are acutely delusional at this point, I mean how would you explain it?
The last word is with Bin Laden gone we need to rethink our actions in the Middle East, and the Islamic World as a whole. In his final days Bin Laden had just as many enemies in the Muslim World as he did in the West. This is not the death nell for al-Qaida, but I do think they have been greatly diminished, and our military exploits in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya all need to be retooled, if not ended outright. If these wars have taught us anything, it should be that the cost in blood and treasure is too high for conventional military operations. Precision surgical strikes, covert operations, and a commander in chief willing to make those calls on our soil, or someone else's, is obviously the way to go. Hopefully with the continuation of the "Arab Spring" the people of the Middle East may finally rise above the autocratic and oppressive regimes that have ruled for half a century without falling to far into the trap of religious dogma. In turn changing the landscape to embrace the freedom of Democracies led by the voices of the people. The world is at a crossroads, here's to hoping we make the choices that lead to peace and stability in that very troubled region.
As for Republicans, a full 39% give absolutely no credit to Obama for killing Bin Laden. While 81% of Republicans think George W. Bush should get the credit. Now I would love to give President Obama all the credit for this defining moment in American History, but I can't. The fact is there was a bevy of intel from both the Bush and Obama administrations that made this possible. So while I am overjoyed President Obama got to pull the trigger, the Bush administration in at least some small part helped load the gun. That being said, while all the torture advocates crawl out from their holes seemingly vindicated, there is a disconnect. The Bush Administration had 7 years to act on all their intel, The Obama Administration took 2. So for all the accolades the right is now pouring on the Bush Administration, the fact is if their intel was so great, why didn't they have an opportunity to do what President Obama DID? Well let me tell you how the President Bush got sidetracked.
When President Bush took office we had a budget surplus of about 200 billion dollars and the National Debt was about 5.6 Trillion. From 2001 to 2009 President Bush resided over the following:
1) The War in Afghanistan
2) The War in Iraq
3) 2 massive tax cuts for the rich
4) A prescription drug plan for senior citizens
All of which were UNPAID FOR.
5) And the grand finale, the collapse of the American Economy and the worst fiscal meltdown in decades.
President Obama gets tossed the keys to the White House by Bush with a 13 trillion dollar deficit which is now 14 Trillion, and coming to a Congress near you going up. You know Bin Laden's core ideology was not only to terrorize the West, but to bankrupt it trying to stop him. Mission accomplished? Maybe. Where were Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and the rest of the Republican right when they were increasing the deficit by 8 trillion dollars? So now President Obama comes into office and they want to destroy Medicare, Education, Organized Labor, Heating Assistance for the Poor, scream we have to get our fiscal house in order because of what they did, and ultimately don't balance the budget! It is nothing short of obscene! The Republicans are acutely delusional at this point, I mean how would you explain it?
The last word is with Bin Laden gone we need to rethink our actions in the Middle East, and the Islamic World as a whole. In his final days Bin Laden had just as many enemies in the Muslim World as he did in the West. This is not the death nell for al-Qaida, but I do think they have been greatly diminished, and our military exploits in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya all need to be retooled, if not ended outright. If these wars have taught us anything, it should be that the cost in blood and treasure is too high for conventional military operations. Precision surgical strikes, covert operations, and a commander in chief willing to make those calls on our soil, or someone else's, is obviously the way to go. Hopefully with the continuation of the "Arab Spring" the people of the Middle East may finally rise above the autocratic and oppressive regimes that have ruled for half a century without falling to far into the trap of religious dogma. In turn changing the landscape to embrace the freedom of Democracies led by the voices of the people. The world is at a crossroads, here's to hoping we make the choices that lead to peace and stability in that very troubled region.
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