I would not be president of the United States for $1 billion a year! I cannot imagine what it must be like to awaken every morning to the multitude of things -- both foreign and domestic -- that would fill a president's plate. And the schedule! It seems that from early morning to late in the evening -- it is go, go, go.
And there is no way to please everyone. Even those who are with you will bale out if the going gets tough. I am one of those people, I guess. I was so supportive of us going into Iraq. As I look back, I think I may have been operating out of a desire to extract revenge for 9-11 (God forgive me). Maybe we would have been better served by limiting our attacks to al-Qaida targets. The skeptic in me is even wondering if the whole reason we went into Iraq was so that our president could get revenge for Saddam's attempts to have his dad assassinated.
But now, I am wondering: Why are we going to escalate our involvement in Iraq? When will we learn from history? Korea and Viet Nam should be enough to remind us that we -- the most powerful nation on earth -- don't do too well when we go into a country and try to make it over in our image. And it certainly does not win us any friends. Why would any nation trust us when we want to come in and "help" them? We will stay only so long as American public opinion polls approve. When the polls flip-flop, we will leave those countries swaying in the wind.
That's my rant for today.
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4 comments:
I guess as you were writing you knew there would be some level of disagreement. I hear what you're saying but have different conclusions. All we know is what the anti-war media tells us. They report everything with bias. But when you hear the soldiers in the field, the story is much different. They are very much impressed with what has been accomplished. Unlike Vietnam and Korea, the allie forces have not lost 1 battle in Iraq. I agree with a statement I heard last night. If President Bush had said, "We're pulling out. The troops are coming home", his opponents would criticize him for that too. I pray for him. He's in a mess.
I don't know the answers nor do I see any good answers as it relates to President Bush. I agree that the media lets us see what they want us too but I have talked to people in Iraq and have heard good and bad. In the end, the question will come down to how many American lives were lost and what was gained.
Regardless of what anyone thought going into Iraq, what is is. I believe good has and will come out of the American presence in Iraq. War is extremely ugly, especially when the objective is difficult. There are some similarities to Korea and Viet Nam, but as jross pointed out, there are some big differences too.
We, the United States, are in a real tight spot with the situation in Iraq. If we're too aggressive, it looks like we are trying to make Iraq a mini-America, which it will never be. If we pull out, we give the enemies of freedom and democracy a foothold.
Sometimes I think the best way to win in Iraq and the middle east would be to minimize the military presence and send waves of Christian missionaries. For years the martyrs would probably be too numerous to count, but over a period of time, the power of the gospel and the name of Jesus would conquer.
Before anyone starts calling me crazy, let me be the first to admit that that idea sounds entirely too similar to the Crusades of the Middle Ages.
It is a complex dream and far too great for humans to accomplish alone.
So, I guess my prayer for Iraq remains that God's purposes will be accomplished in Iraq and He will open doors for the good news of Jesus. Whether the U.S. prevails or not, I do not know. I hope so.
My view of history is quite different. We fought to a draw in Korea because we were unwilling (right or wrong) to escalate the battle to China. We lost in Vietnam because as a people we lost the will to win - the North Vietnamese were more willing to pay the price they had to pay to prevail than we as a nation were willing to sacrifice what we had to sacrifice. There is no agreement as to the best stragedy in Iraq but my belief is that once we have lost the heart to prevail we will lose. Once again, like many things, it comes down to a heart issue.
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