President Obama visited fort Bragg this week to president over the nation’s most historical and relevant event since his inauguration in 2009. He declared the war in Iraq, “over”. He gloriously and in a most presidential way, ’welcomed home our troops’ (from that war). Yet, there is a segment in the population who have taken their obstructionism to the point of disgust: many of our nation’s conservatives (politicians and war-mongering citizens).
The current wave of ‘hawkish’ diatribes from the likes of John McCain and Lindsey Graham speaks to the avid jingoistic foundation for many of the nation’s conservatives. The current cast of GOP presidential candidates include at least one or two ‘super war hawks’ who have spoken in open debate about their disdain for US troop withdrawal from Iraq. If you watch the GOP debates you are hearing resounding applause with mention of possible jingoistic actions against Iran. The audience seems chops-at-the-bit for another war. Yet, only their children will fight their war.
Both Fox News and certain news segments on CNN have included comment which rational thought and smacks misrepresentation of our past. The words flow along this line (Paraphrase), “Saddam was removed from power, democracy was established in the nation…” How can respectful people so misrepresent the war in Iraq. The removal of Saddam or establishing democracy in the nation were items taken before the United Nations for authorization of war. Such non-factual ’reverse rationalization’ by any media is pathetic. We were duped into the war by a commonly used conservative tactic called “fear”. WMD and a Saddam nuclear weapon was the rallying cry. a rallying cry delivered to the United nations by one of our greatest and most honored military leaders. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Tenet duped Collin Powell along with you and me.
Time has moved on!
The end of a nine-year war that contributed greatly to national economic ruination is reason applause and welcoming our troops home. But, for the Right, not the case.
Ah, another mark against President Obama. I have heard the words ‘timid’ all too often of late. The GOP candidates are even using the ‘buzzword’ as fodder against each other. After all, it is election season and well-time for conservative politicians to romance the-war-loving psyches of their sycophant followers.
Of course, John “I LOVE WAR” McCain would take the lead.
McCain, speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate, said Obama’s decision on a full withdrawal — with no residual force behind — was timed to the start of the 2012 presidential election, and leaves Iraq vulnerable to terrorists and to anti-U.S. neighbors like Iran.
“I believe that history will judge this president’s leadership with the scorn and disdain it deserves,” McCain said.
“……..History will judge this president’s leadership with the scorn and disdain it deserves”. How amazingly sad to think McCain could have become President of the United States! so soon he forgets his party’s commitment to leaving Iraq.
A Reflection on the Erratic State of the GOP
Just before the end of calendar year 2008 George Bush and the Iraqi government signed the Iraqi war Statues of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The agreement included a withdrawal date of US Troops by December 31, 2011. The Obama Administration ended US troop involvement in Iraq two weeks prior to the Agreement date (end date). We should remember the Iraqi Government would not grant the US certain protections that our government requested for continuing in Iraq beyond December, 31. I believe that President Obama and the Defense department wanted to maintain a small security force in country. The Iraqi government wanted an end to the continued US presence. A kerfuffle ended by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Before addressing the current jingoistic action from Congressional conservatives (and pundits), I’d like to reflect on a few relevant considerations.
Bush agreed to timeline for withdrawal from Iraq
Iraq and U.S. agree that all U.S. forces will withdraw “no later than December 31, 2011.” On November 17, 2008, US and Iraqi officials signed a Security Agreement, often referred to as a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), stating that “All the United States Forces shall withdraw from all Iraqi territory no later than December 31, 2011.” The agreement also called for all U.S. combat forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities “no later than June 30, 2009.” [U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement,11/17/08]
Am I correct in recalling a moderate number of Congressional representatives joined John McCain, in his 99% support for Bush’s policies, as he campaigned for the 2008 election? Despite the fact Bush signed the agreement few weeks before he left the White House, he clearly negotiated the timed withdrawal.
During the most sever economic times since the Great Depression and despite public support for coming out of the wars (80% support for ending the wars), Conservative across the nation and most in Congress ridicule our withdrawal. Often, people need simple facts to make a point. the following information makes that very point.
$3.7 trillion
Minimum total cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to the Brown University research project Costs of War. “Even small chunks” of that amount “could power many efforts at home,” says Robert Johnson at Business Insider.
$12,000
Cost that figure boils down to per American
$27,041
Average per capita income in the United States for twelve months,according to the U.S. Census Bureau
$9.7 billion
Amount, per month, on average, the efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq are costing the U.S., as of late April, according to Defense Department figures
$27.4 billion
Annual budget of the State Department
$1.5 billion
Cost of the final shuttle mission in July. NASA could have launched the shuttle “six times for what the Pentagon is allotted to spend each month in those two wars,” says Youssef at McClatchy Newspapers.
$20 billion
Annual air-conditioning costs for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to retired brigadier general Steven Anderson, a former chief logistician for Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq
$385 billion
Estimated cost of George W. Bush’s 2003 expansion of Medicare prescription drug benefits over 10 years. “The Pentagon spends that in Iraq and Afghanistan in about 40 months,” says Youssef.
$350 billion
Amount the debt ceiling agreement calls for the Defense Department to cut over the next ten years
$500 billion
Additional cuts the Pentagon would face if the super committee deadlocks or fails to have its plan approved by Congress. Those cuts are part of a prearranged set of drastic spending cuts that would be automatically triggered if the committee fails to come up with a plan to cut the deficit by an additional $1.2 trillion. “This kind of massive cut across the board, which would literally double the number of cuts that we’re confronting, would have devastating effects on our national defense,” says U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
$14.6 trillion
U.S national debt
1,626
Number of U.S. military troops that have died in Afghanistan,according to the Associated Press
4,474
Number that have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003
Yet, McCain wanted to leave thousands of troops in Iraq. Does the nation really need to leave another standing army (battalion or even platoon) in another foreign country?
Countries in which the U.S. has a military presence in 2007.
More than 1,000 US personnel
More than 100 US personnel
Use of military facilities
The cost of such standing armies is phenomenal. Click this link for a startling set of data. Take note of our expenditures matched against China.
Sample
Horrible isn’t it?
Yet, McCain, Graham, GOP presidential candidates (except for Ron Paul) and many millions conservatives are ridiculing President Obama for his leadership.
These same people are unwilling to tax the nation’s wealthy to help defray the cost of such expenditures. How sad a commentary!
We cannot fund Medicare for indefinite solvency, we are looking to hack away at Medicaid, Social Security eligibility needs to be raised and we have ‘The Path to Prosperity” from the GOP. Now, take another look at the red bar chart just above. Really, we need to take all fo those measures.
American jingoism must go away as surely as an eradicated plague.
