Friday, October 2, 2009

A Big Stick

General McChrystal asked President Obama to send 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. He said that he does not see America winning the war without them. The President is now in the process of deciding if he will fulfill that request or not. What is he thinking about? Does he think that the General might be requesting something he does not need? Or does he think that he knows how to better manage a war (I do not think that even his ego is that big)? Or is this decision going to be based on, as it always seems to be, politics?

I hope it does not come down to politics. This decision should only be based on what will be better for the troops that are fighting there now, and for our efforts in winning the war. I, however, am not sure if winning the war is indeed a priority for our President. He seems to have made it very clear that he was not in favor of this war. He has also made it his business to make sure the rest of the world knows that. Most recently he did this at the U.N. two weeks ago. Regardless of if he agrees with this war, he must put that aside and act as a commander-in-chief who is interested in winning. He is not on the campaign trail any more. It is time to step up to the plate, stop pointing fingers and act like the President he constantly reminds us he is.

He speaks often about how concerned he is with the way the rest of the world views America. This is why he is so busy telling them he is against the war, and that he will try to fix our mistakes and get out us of there as soon as he can. This is also why he made it one of his first actions as President to close Guantanamo Bay. Well, believe it or not I also am concerned with how the rest of the world views America. I am concerned that the rest of the world will begin to see us a weak country that will cave in to the orders of other nations, specifically those who present threats.

Teddy Roosevelt said we must ‘speak softly and carry a big stick.’ This means that we should not fight if it is not necessary, but at the same time our enemies must know that if they force us to we will hit, and hit hard. We could accomplish this by winning in Iraq and in Afghanistan. If we can show the world that we can and will eliminate those who we view as threats, it will go a long way in making sure that other groups are less likely to choose to threaten us. This is very important with Iran now officially being able to develop nuclear missiles. Ahmadinejad has made it clear that he would be more than happy to use these missiles, not something I would like to see. If we do not make sure that we emerge victorious in Iraq and Afghanistan, and if other nations do not think we would make that type of strike again if necessary, we no longer have our big stick.

Obama has a chance here to make sure America’s stick is nice and big. If he sends these troops to Afghanistan he can show the world that we are committed to eliminating our enemies, and that we will not back down when the going gets tough. He acknowledged that he does not approve of Iran having the ability to make these missiles, but not even in the speaking softly sense. He said that Iran must display its intentions with deeds of peace. ?!?!?!? Until one actually uses the missile is there not always peace? The point of stopping someone who has the ability to harm you is to remove that ability. So what does letting them know that we are expecting them to be nice accomplish? If we are going to wait to see if they do something harmful before we do anything it will be too late.

Obama missed the chance to speak softly to Iraq. He was not the President then. Now, he has the obligation to finish these wars whether he originally agreed with them or not. He must show the world that we do still carry a big stick. If he keeps letting people know that he does not approve of us fighting Iraq, then people will not be afraid that we would attack someone else in the future, meaning we do not have a big stick. If he does not send the troops, giving the Generals on the ground the resources they need to win the fight in Afghanistan, he shows the world that we are not committed to winning our battles and to fighting those that present a threat to us. He should be concerned with how the world views us. He should be very concerned with making sure that they world knows we do indeed carry a very big stick. He has made it clear that he is a big fan of diplomacy. But he must remember that speaking softly only works, if he is carrying a big stick.

Words of Wisdom: During his appearance on Leno, Rush made a very important point about why the Government being involved in healthcare is so scary. He said that if the government is involved in our healthcare they can then control every single aspect of our lives by claiming that it is because of how it will affect the cost of the healthcare, which is funded by our tax dollar. What you eat, what you drive, everything. Doesn't sound so nice, does it?

1 comment:

  1. that is what i am sure the intent is....it cannot be health care bec. we have the best in the world and most americans are happy with it..people come to our country for health care..now, for the people who are not covered, i am sure there is a way to cover them...and not start messing with our whole health care system. That would mean our drs, nurses, surgery centers, hospitals, walk-in centers, our drugs, salaries of these people, insurance....how massive is this and can you imagine the government handling this and having so much control over us throughout our lives.....very, very scarey thought

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