Posted by
Steve on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:01:33 AM
One thing that we have not heard much about since January 20 is Iraq and Afghanistan. There are new rules of engagement for both countries. In Iraq, there is also the anticipation that the Iraq security forces will take over most of the security in the major cities. With the bombings in Bagdad yesterday, it is time to look at Iraq and Afghanistan and see how we are doing.
While President Bush was in office, the news media told us every day that the policies that the Bush administration had taken were failing. Every day they gave us body counts on how many American soldiers were killed and injured. They also included totals for Iraqi citizens as a total, not separating out civilians and terrorists. It was all designed to show that George W. Bush was failing. Since Barack Obama has taken office, there has been a virtual news blackout. You would hear a story every now and then. But for all intents and purposes Iraq and Afghanistan have almost ceased to exist.
Yesterday, there was a series of bombings in Bagdad that has killed at least 75 people and wounded 300. Had George Bush been President, we would have almost non-stop news coverage. With Barack Obama as President, it is reported, but not pumped up. The bombings do bring into question the Iraq strategy of having the Iraq Security Forces supply security in the populated areas of the country.
In listening to the Mike Broomhead show on KFYI, I learned the rules of engagement for our soldiers in Afghanistan. The soldiers are not to fire unless they can GUARANTEE that there are no civilians in the area that will be hit by a stray bullet. The priority for the soldiers is to withdraw from the scene. The nonofficial term would be retreat. American soldiers do not retreat, they withdraw. The effect is the same. We are perceived as weak by the Taliban and others that we are fighting when we withdraw instead of fight. There is nothing worse for a soldier than withdrawing when the soldier knows he/she can win the fight. That will destroy morale more quickly than anything you can imagine. I am not sure that is the goal of the Obama administration, but it sure seems like it from where I sit.
I am not privy to all the ins and outs of the rules of engagement. All I know is what I hear on radio, TV and the internet. But, I put what I lean from those sources with what I see happening with the rest of the country under Barack Obama and a pattern becomes very clear, very fast. Every time Barack Obama has a chance to put Americans first, he puts them second. Every time there is a chance to advance the interests of the United States, he rejects it. Every time there is a chance to improve the economy of this country, he tries to destroy it. That, to me, is a pattern. The pattern I see is not good. I would have to say that from the pattern I perceive Barack Obama does not have the best interests of the United States at heart. I could be wrong. There may be some plan going on that I am not able to perceive at my level. But, every time Obama has a chance to boost Americans he cuts them off at the knees. Every time he has a chance to boost our long time friends and allies, he cuts them off at the knees or ignores them. Every time he has a chance to help our enemies, he gives them a hand. When a friend and ally acts within its Constitution, he comes out for the person who wanted to be a dictator. It is like we went through Alice’s Looking Glass on January 20. In Lewis Carroll’s, story about Alice and the Looking Glass, everything was backwards when she went through the looking glass. I am getting that impression more and more as time goes on.
One good thing that is happening right now is that Americans are waking up. Americans are standing up to their elected representatives and telling them that they are going too far. This is gratifying to me. It makes me think that there is hope that we will get out of this backwards land at some future time.