Give The Kid A Break
“This is hard work.” — George W. Bush. On Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, President Barack H. Obama found out just how hard it can be.
“This is hard work.” — George W. Bush
On Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, President Barack H. Obama found out just how hard it can be.
Speaking in front of a large contingent of cadets, and persons of note, in Eisenhower Hall at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, the Commander-In-Chief made public perhaps the most difficult decision of his young presidency — if not his life.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of the time President Lyndon Baines Johnson faced the cameras and said to the American people, “It is with heavy heart…”
Mr. Obama had that same pained look on his face, that sadness in his eyes, as he expanded U.S. commitment in Afghanistan to an additional 30,000 persons.
What else could he do?
Beneath of the wreckage of a nearly absolute national and worldwide economic meltdown, his predecessor went home to Texas leaving ablaze two wars, overwhelming the resources of our security while scorching the collective psyche of our heroic men and women in uniform.
On purpose.
As much as I abhor war — any type of disagreement that includes physicality or corporal engagement — the necessity for resolution is paramount.
I feel for our President. While many of my fellow Americans on the Left denounce this decision, I realize that their distaste comes from a position of never having worn the olive drab (okay, camouflage). Conversely, many on the Right, also my fellow Americans, decry the announced policy as not strong enough.
By the very stature of Office, the President is privy to information to which none of us has access. There are reasons why such data is kept from reporters, columnists, and, especially, senators and congressional representatives.
The immediate knee-jerk reaction of pundits and opinion spewers to belch out that this decision now makes the morass in Afghanistan truly Obama’s war is idiotic, an insincere lament designed only to keep the wussy writers of such weepy pap in ink.
Isn’t it about time we supported the first man to be legally elected to the Presidency this Millennium?
Quit harping about your own special issue and give Mr. Obama a break, already; he’s only one person! Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, all of America’s ills can’t be solved in the first quarter of a presidential term.
Blaming him for all the snafus that the previous putz and his handlers left afloat in midstream will not solve anything.
Sure, it’s hard work. That’s why Georgie left the most difficult part — the solution — waiting to be dealt with by the next person.
We hired the man to make the tough decisions. Let’s stand behind him.
Shalom.
(Erstwhile Philosopher and former Educator Jerry Tenuto is a veteran who survived, somewhat emotionally intact, seven years in the U.S. Army. Despite a penchant for late-night revelry, he managed to earn BS and MA Degrees in Communications from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. On advice from a therapist, he continues to bang out his weekly “Out Of The Blue” feature in The Lone Star Iconoclast — providing much-needed catharsis. Jerry is also licensed to perform marriage ceremonies in 45 states.)
