There's one guy left in this thing who is eminently qualified to make the toughest decisions that a commander in chief will be expected to make. He is also willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission, whatever that means any more. John McCain is a career soldier, and attractive because there's no one I'd rather have in that situation room if Iran and/or North Korea start trying to blow something up.
But a good soldier doesn't question why. A soldier's mindset makes bombing North Vietnam back to the stone age seem like a good idea if it furthers the mission. I'm not sure what the tactical equivalent would be in Iraq, but good president's do question why. Specifically, they question why they should send Americans into harm's way. Good presidents consider the option of withdrawal from a failed mission without injecting it with the inflammatory language of "surrender". This is a campaign parlor trick that is really no less duplicitous than those of John Edwards, who laid out his plan for a quick withdrawal from Iraq from campaign stops in New Hampshire. Apparently as President, Mr. Edwards wouldn't need to worry about the counsel of , what are they called, generals.
Of course McCain's background make him seem tenfold more authentic than Edwards was. The larger point is that a presidential candidate shouldn't make foreign policy or military decisions from the campaign trail. Nor should he make campaign statements that will handicap his ability to be commander in chief once in office.
Believe it or not, this post was going to be a gripe about Hillary Clinton. Plenty of time for that later.
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3 comments:
Travy, while you know I'm not a McCain enthusiast, I think you misunderstand or aren't listening to him closely enough. After having attended that rally yesterday and hearing him speak, he specifically says that decisions about troop levels and strategy in Iraq should be made by generals and not politicians. This does not make up for the fact that he is a cranky old man known for his bad temper...who knows what he might do with his finger on the trigger!
P.S. You could go after Obama on this one too...I'm noticing a lack of hope on this page ;o)
i was going to call rosey out on her use of misunderstand (unfortunately after looking it up in a dictionary, it is indeed a word)... anyways, your blog seems rather cynical/a bit angry...
i disagree
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