It was pure Bush Lite when Obama addressed cadets at West Point last night.
He’s mastered all of GWB’s buzz words. There was the appeal to “vital national interests,” and several references to the 9/11 logo, along with the allusion to al-Qaeda’s ability to “threaten America.” Then there was the old chestnut that “our security is at stake,” not to mention the “security of the world.” Last, but not least, Afghanistan is “an enduring test of our free society and the leadership of the world.”
It reminded me of Pete Seeger when he sang, “We were waist deep in the Big Muddy, and the big fool said move on.”
Another thirty-thousand troops and another $30 billion even as California is going broke and New York’s Gov. David Patterson wants to cut funding to education and healthcare. People are being turned out of their houses, tent cities are going up all over the country, our children are going to bed hungry, our deficit is in the trillions, unemployment is up around 17%...
and the big fool said move on.
Our mission, he told us is to “disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” It is estimated that there are, maybe, 100 al Qaeda in Afghanistan at the present moment, but we are going to have a total of 100,000 troops to hunt them down. That’s about 1000 troops for each member of al Qaeda…
and the big fool said move on.
But rest assured, we are not occupying Afghanistan, we are entering into partnership with the country. Now, any country that hears the United States wants to “partner” with it would do well to cringe. Our partnerships are like the one a rapist forms with his victim.
And, of course, he reassured us that Afghanistan is not Vietnam because the additional troops are going to train the Afghan people to defend themselves so we can pull out in eighteen months, just like we did in Vietnam. If, however, the Afghan army proves as corrupt and incompetent and the South Vietnamese army, we might have to hang around a bit longer.
But, it’s not Vietnam.
Obama called for the nation to unite behind his dream, and we can. All we need do is think of the Big Muddy as a vacation spa.
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5 comments:
I remained true to my word and did not watch the spectacle, but, nevertheles, it's message seems inescapable. He said nothing very well, as usual. Obama proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if you want to demonstrate your lack of understanding about history and its consequences, just quote all the mistake-makers of yore. I don't know if he was "channeling", but it was a very impressive seance, awakening the dead and offering us the stupiditity of repetition. So much for change and new thinking.
Right now, given what looms ahead, I feel like I have just had wild and crazy sex (ala the last election), only to be told, "Congratulations. You now have AIDS AND herpes."
Now that we are in the swamp, does anyne know what to do with the alligators?
100 al Qaeda members and 100,000 troops - this is 1000 troops for 1 member of al Qaeda
regards
tony
Whoops! Lost track of the zeros.
The other old chestnut is "the battle for the hearts and minds of the civilians". To achieve that is very easy: Just keep on bombing wedding parties.
As they said in Vietnam, "Grab 'em by the balls and their hearts and minds are sure to follow."
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