Sorry if you don't like the tone of that title, but I'm really sick of all the open letter, disrespectful bullshit towards the President I've seen recently. And don't try to call me an apoligist who doesn't want criticism of the President. I don't care if you criticize. But you do it with respect for the office. Even when Bush and Reagan were President, while I hated them, I respected the office. The office demands respect, whether you hate the guy occupying it or not.
Let's talk Afghanistan. The President made a comment once that on many issues he faces, there are no good or bad answers, just bad and "less bad" answers. I think we could all agree that Afghanistan is one of these issues.
Let's pose a hypothetical: tomorrow, President Obama announces he will withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan, eliciting near unanimous cheers from the Daily Kos community(maybe). What happens to that country over the next 6 months? Does the Karzai government keep control of the country? Do all the Al-Qaeda members now in Pakistan return to Afghanistan, knowing the Karzai government has neither the will or resources to caputre them? If they do, will they use their newfound freedom to launch another terror attack that kills thousands of Americans? Then what will our reaction be?
Will President Obama's plan for Afghanistan work? Hell if I know. I'm not completely comfortable with 30K more troops heading to the region, but there are some aspects of the plan that make me feel a bit better. One, the President is commited to outlining an exit strategy for the conflict. An American delegation, most likely led by Sec. Clinton, will attend a conference in January with other NATO allies that will be tasked with mapping out a timeline for turning over all power to the Afghan government and removal of coalition forces. And, apparently the President has told his military leaders that there will be no more troop increases in the future. Sorry, but I really don't see how this is Vietnam.
Everyday there are new diaries or stories which are written with the goal of damaging the President. We have to "call him out" or "make him see the truth". Why do we think we know the truth? I'm pretty sure the President has more info on just about any issue than us. I'm pretty sure he know more about the situation on the ground in Afghanistan than we do. He would be far more qualified to make a decision about it's future than I. I have no problem admitting that. That's not to say we can't have opinions. But to state them as though they are absolute fact is ridiculous.
There also seems to be a fundamental lack of understanding of the governing process. The President must do A, B, and C immediately! That would be great, of course, if this were a dictatorship. The White House doesn't write laws. Congress is tasked with that power by the Constitution. But LBJ and FDR did it! Well, both had the goodwill of every American, having been left to deal with tragic circumstances. Also, both had far friendlier congressional delegations, both from their own party and the opposition. I don't think either man had a member of the opposition party questioning his citizenship. Like it or not, there are limitations to what Obama can do. He will get a health care bill. He'll get a jobs bill, a financial regulations bill, a climate bill. They won't be perfect, they'll probably be derided in these parts. But they'll be the best he can get.
Obama is a pawn of Wall Street. Obama is a pwan of the insurance industry. Obama is a pawn of PHARMA. Pick whatever industry you despise, and there's likely been a diary spelling out how Obama is a pawn of it. It's easy tow rite such diaries. No one here is held accountable-we pick our funny screen names, write our diatribes, and don't have to worry about facts. Our anonymity affords us tremendous freedom. But none of us should ever be free from the facts.