A Political Statement

[Jackpine]

This is a reply to Lynn in the New Member Forum -

Lynn, I too am passionate about politics, probably more so than ever due to the last eight years. Please understand, I am a 20-year, Vietnam Era, Air Force combat pilot veteran, so I have some inkling of your feelings and sense of Duty, Honor and Country. My Father was a career Army officer, who fought in WWII, Korea and the early days of Vietnam. I am all too aware of the fact that we in the military are used when the political process breaks down, usually through inept or overly ambitious government.

I don't really agree that Bush was pro-military at all. Look at the way the Administration treated the returning wounded veterans. Look at the way they sent troops into harm's way with substandard equipment. Notice how they subverted the role of the military (who are trained to "break things") into a nation-building role more suited to a police force and NGOs. Look at how they overtly approved "extraordinary measures" and then hung the poor grunts who implemented those measures out to dry for using "excessive force" while completely ignoring worse behavior by civilian contractors and intelligence agencies. Look at how personnel are on third and fourth deployments, and how those deployments have been extended. Remember how the Administration effectively cut off support to the effort in Afghanistan so that it could pursue a more "profitable" adventure in Iraq. I could go on and on, but, hopefully, I've conveyed the idea. And please, I'm not some "bleeding heart" Democrat. I have much the same angst against President Johnson for the inept way he first got us into, and then tried to micro-manage the Vietnam War effort. Johnson "invented" a reason to escalate activities in Southeast Asia, it was an event in the Gulf of Tonken that didn't even happen. He allowed his Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, to ignore virtually every request made by his military commanders. He forced the Air Force to conduct bombing raids on low-value targets at predictable times of the day using routes that were well known to the enemy. And finally, look at how his Administration failed to support returning veterans.

I don't mean to say that these two Presidents were all bad. President Bush made huge, successful efforts toward combating disease in Africa. President Johnson created the "Great Society" that probably resulted in the election of President Obama.

But, in my opinion, Bush was not a leader. In my opinion, Johnson was not a leader. We desperately need a LEADER, and that leader WILL have to make very tough decisions. That leader must be willing to acknowledge mistakes, because he will make them. That leader must recognize that he doesn't have all the answers so he must listen to his advisers and understand the full consequences of his decisions. He must keep to the moral high ground and not let the ends justify the means. That leader must govern from the center of the Country, not from the center of his political party. That leader must work with the other countries in the world and not try to dominate them.

I am optimistic about President Obama. I think President Obama would have listened to Colin Powell. I think he would not have allowed a Donald Rumsfeld to ignore the advice of General Tommy Franks. I don't think he would have abandoned the effort in Afghanistan for something more (politically) lucrative.

And, I think he WILL support the military.

- Jack