[Headline edited by MB]
O.K., I'll admit it. I am one of BWD's detractors. I hate photo diaries, generally, and BWD's specifically. Why? Because they reek of propoganda. The kind of propoganda engaged in by governments all over the world, aimed at affecting the sympathies and feelings of people, both in and out of the country, without engaging in any political thought whatsoever. Pretty pictures that are marketing of the worst kind. What can we derive from BWD's diaries? That Barack Obama is photogenic. That his family is beautiful. That when people meet a President they smile. That a crowd of people will appear where a President does, and try to shake his hand. That's it.
This past Sunday, I opened up the New York Times, and read the incredible story of Brendan Marrocco. And I saw pictures that told me more than I really wanted to know about President Obama's failed policy in Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Read the story. And look at the pictures. All of them.
Brendan Marrocco is a young soldier who volunteeered, when to Afghanistan, and lost his limbs in a roadside bombing. He came back to the U.S., and is in Walter Reed Army Hospital where he is recuperating, having physical therapy to learn to use prosthetic limbs, and is awaiting a double arm transplant. He is a remarkable young man, and his story is amazing. Brendan's family came together to support him; in fact, his brother quit his job at Citibank to stay with Brendan full-time to help him adjust. Brendan met a girl and fell in love. And his outlook has remained the same throughout his ordeal. He is an optimist. That spirit has made him a minor celebrity at Walter Reed Hospital, where other soldiers can only admire his determination and humor, and Brendan has also had stories written about him in the press.
And yet, Brendan Marrocco does not damn the military or the war. In fact, if he had his way, according to the story, he would be back in Afghanistan, behind a machine gun. He loved being a soldier, and it was the profession he chose. He loves his country. When I read his story, I felt nothing but admiration for this young man. I wish I was as optimistic and strong as Brendan. It is as story that everyone can learn from. But for me, it is also a lesson in why I find it so hard to support President Obama, just 1-1/2 years after he was elected. And why all the pretty pictures are not persuading me that he is a President that I can support.
Just this past week, we have been informed by Leon Panetta, the head of the CIA, that there are 50 to 100 Al Qaeda left in Afghanistan. As noted by Fareed Zakharia, on his CNN program on Sunday, "the whole enterprise in Afghanistan feels disproportionate, a very expensive solution to what is turning out to be a small but real problem. . . .[i]f Al Qaeda is down to 100 men there at the most," Zakaria asked, "why are we fighting a major war?" And the cost to us for the War in Afghanistan? First, as to lives lost, Zakaria noted, there were more than 100 NATO troops killed in Afghanistan in June. "That's more than one allied death for each living Al Qaeda member in the country in just one month." And as for money spent, Fareed Zakaria noted that "the latest estimates are that the war in Afghanistan will cost more than $100 billion in 2010 alone. That's a billion dollars for every member of Al Qaeda thought to be living in Afghanistan in one year."
Let's not forget what has happened to Brendan Marrocco. He was brutally injured in an accident that killed his best friend, and he and his family will live all their lives with this tragedy. But the violence in Afghanistan that injured Brendan may be either the product of Al Qaeda, or it may be the result of anti-American fervor as a result of an occupation that is, as many people are beginning to note, disproportionate and unnecessary.
And yet, what did the Democrats do about the war in Afghanistan just this past week? The House passed $30 Billion to fund the war in Afghanistan. It is substantially similar to a bill passed by the Senate, and now will go to be reconciled in Committee. Why did it pass? Because President Barack Obama, who stars in all the pretty BWD picture diaries, wants to continue the war in Afghanistan.
So the next time you see a pretty picture diary by BWD, I want you to remember the pictures of Brendan Marrocco. Because President Obama is more than just pretty pictures. He is also the owner of his policies, and the toll it takes on American citizens.