Sadly, President Orders Troop Surge

I knew my prediction Monday of an India-Pakistan alliance was a long shot, but that was the only item I got wrong in my prediction of his address to the nation Tuesday. And while he gave a date to “start” withdrawal of the troops, he didn’t give us an “end” date for when they would be gone. This is something he chastised President Bush for in Iraq when he was campaigning for president. Apparently he’s had a change of heart on that point. Maybe it’s the water in the White House?

As the policy stands now, the President is escalating the war with a build up of 30,000 additional troops and possibly even more civilians within the next six months. Sounds like a new “surge”, but he doesn’t call it that- I wonder why??? I just hope he doesn't start singing "bomb bomb bomb Iran”…

President Obama made a point of stating how strongly the House, Senate, and the American people were in their support for the war way back in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. That was true, but, and this is a big but, if President Bush had said we’re going into Afghanistan to overthrow the government, and then fight the people we kicked out for the next 12-15 years, I’m sure America and Congress would’ve said that dog don't hunt. Nobody would support a 15-year war. Nobody. We’re stupid enough to approve a war incrementally, but not smart enough to avoid the war all together.

I remember President Bush fired his first Secretary of Treasury, Paul O’Neill, for overstating the predicted cost of the war in Iraq (before we invaded Iraq). He said the cost would exceed 200 billion dollars. Secretary Rumsfeld put him down publicly and claimed the war would cost something like 80 billion. As the dust begins to settle the cost is over a trillion dollars, and that doesn’t include the long-term cost of the veterans benefits and the rehabilitation of the wounded soldiers that could exceed another trillion dollars. When all the collateral costs such as replenishment cost of equipment, etc,  are all taken into account the Iraq War will be over three trillion dollars. I would’ve fired O’Neill for being too conservative!

Deficit spending for a war doesn’t seem to be a problem for the otherwise domestic thrifty Republicans. Several Republican senators have already stated that if the President wasn’t opposed to going into debt to bail out banks and GM, why should he be concerned about deficit spending to fight a war- such a just and noble cause? So we seem to have a healthy majority for continuing the war with our big credit card  without concern for the national debt.

This certainly would be different if we had a war tax and a draft. Nobody is fighting against his or her will and nobody seems to care about the cost. We make going to war too easy- like buying a flat screen TV when you’re broke- just throw plastic at it…

I’m very disappointed in the President’s decision and I think I’ll look for another political party to put my support behind. Got any suggestions besides No-publicans? Is there a Green Party or is Ralph Nader my only other option? Maybe I’ll change to Independent. Yeah, that's what I'll do...