Seems alot of people are angry at the rumors that Obama is going to be sending more troops to Afghanistan.
From what I have read it seems that the President was left with little room to do much. When the generals betrayed him by going to press a few months back, everything was scrapped and that is why the President took so long. And why he is left with little choice.
I am not happy about the escalation that is being rumored but, I also understand.
I hate war.
My mother was 9 years old when the Nazis (the real ones and not the ones that live in the imagination of the rightwing) invaded her country.
Her family, like most in the area, fled for the south of France. On the roads with so many other familys who had possessions piled up on carts and runshed along lanes were getting picked off by the germans in their planes.
My family lived in Vichy for about 18 months and grew so homesick they decided to chuck being refugees and go back.
On the train home a Nazi solider was drawn to my young uncle, a baby at the time (and died a few months later from SIDS). My grandmother could not stand his coo cooing at him.
My grandfather was a police captain and belonged to the resistance. He had access to the codes that came across the radio from the BBC on the French to French by DeGaul about what they needed to know and was in code.
My mother remembers some families in her village with stars on their sleeves and eventually they would disappear during the night one family at a time. No word of where they went. They hear rumors but, never anything for sure.
So, yes. I hate war.
But, I have been around enough to know regardless of what is in your heart and what you wish to do and accomplish, there are times when you are pinned to the wall and have to carry out things you really do not want to.
I know from what I've read that both Obama and Geithner hated having to deal with and give money to the banks. it just made them cringe. But, they also knew if they did not save our banking system, not only would be fall into an abyss of a depression worse then one in the 30s but, that it would take the world's economy along with it.
They were left holding the mess Paulson and Bush made of the TARP program and facing our whole economy collapsing.
They kept us from that by doing the distasteful.
The President has had to do alot of things that is distasteful to him but, he is left with little choice. The deep destruction, mess and incompetence of the last 8 years and the horrible condition left of the country has forced this man to have to scale back on his own plans and agenda, push things back on his schedule. He has had to first deal with the Bush hell.
Afghanistan is one of these such things. What Obama is doing is rolling up his sleeves, getting to work and trying to fix the mess left to him. He surely does not want this to be his war but, he knows after tomorrow night it will be. That is something he did not want. No one wants. To take on someone else war and having it become yours.
But, he is an adult. Mature. He knows he has to do what he can. Give it a shot. A try. And hope he can fix it. If not I suspect he will leave shortly.
So, again I am reading diaries here and seeing people here assume and make broad and general statements. Because Obama is doing what he feels is the right thing we have people who are calling, again, names and accusing him of all kinds of evil.
Funny how so many can decide they are righteous and know all without having to walk in someone else's shoes or try to see why someone is doing something.
And they will accuse me of being a bot because I have experienced life. Had to do things I did not want. Be an adult. And because I feel so much of the criticism is not thought out and justified alot times.
Too much is knee jerk to rumors and gossip. Before finding out facts or checking around and maybe waiting for a few days to see what the full story is, these same people lash out, call names and make accusations. then a few days later are sitting with egg on their face. But, come the next time...
Many hide behind the excuse that Obama needs to criticized so he knows how you feel and to prove you are not lock step. Excuse me but, the criticism the man needs is on real policy. not rumor. And broad general nit piking is just petty and immature.
When a policy is out that you really disagree with then fine. I have been upset over things and policy. But, I also never expected to agree 100 percent and I knew what the president was about when I voted. I knew he did not buy into ideology and samples ideas from all over the place.
I just wish people would try to be more thoughtful before criticizing others. We have no clue what it's like to deal with this war and to just broadly decide the man is evil, a disappointment, a traitor to the left (he never said he was ideologically progressive only) to just think alittle. Try to see the other side of things and what has been put on his shoulders.
On top of the horror Bush left him with, he is facing more death threats then any president, a republican party going off the rails and taken over by the crazy lunatics who will purge anyone from the party who try to work with him. And the left who have 30 years pent up of things they want to fix and want it all done now.
I feel bad for this guy and see how heavy this decision is weighing on him and yet, I see so many thoughtlessly sit in their ivory towers and point fingers.
Thanks for letting me sputter and spout