Tuesday, October 20, 2009

When "Present" Won't Cut It

Opponents of Barack Obama reported during the campaign the high percentage of "present" votes by then state senator Obama. Clearly Obama was mapping out his political future walking the tightrope of politics by keeping himself out of many controversial positions of record. Voting "present" and dodging tough issues with a present vote may be fine in the state legislature of Illinois. However, when that "present" state senator is now Commander in Chief, voting "present" won't cut it.

The time has come in Afghanistan to fish or cut bait. We need a decision. Obama's commander in Afghanistan and his secretary of defense are pushing for more troops. Obama is a flower child of the 1960s and his gut tells him that all things can be worked out through peaceful negotiations. His far left advisers and supporters also believe that we should bring home the troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq as soon as possible. The problem is that candidate Obama called Afghanistan the "right" war that we needed to fight to secure our future against the terrorist threat. So now Obama is either trying to make the right call to get the best result in Afghanistan or he is trying to find a way to vote "present" and weasel out of taking a stand what will without question be unpopular with many Americans.

Welcome to the big leagues Obama, make a decision..."present" won't cut it. Either pull the troops out ad bring them home or double down and try to win. I can see the merit of both positions. I would double down. What I would not do is dither around looking for a politically palatable solution while brave American soldiers risk their lives. Obama, you are the president, make a decision, it's your job!

No comments: