National Defense and the Troop Surge:

Whereas Barack Obama has touted his opposition to an unpopular war that has devastated America’s reputation in the international community, taken countless Iraqi men and women in addition to the brave servicemen and servicewomen, and overextended our national budget to the point that our dollar is freefalling, John McCain has emphasized the tactical effectiveness of the now popular troop surge, which Barack Obama opposed.   

The surge may have been militarily effective (though Iraqi efforts—legislatively and militarily—were necessary), but Republicans never ask 1) Even if, over time—with tremendous cost in American lives, U.S. dollars, and “collateral damage” among perhaps one MILLION citizens in Iraq—this is a battle we CAN win, SHOULD we be fighting this battle? AND 2) What role has U.S. foreign policy played in the phenomenon we witness today where Muslims from the Third World (who once looked favorably upon the U.S.) are so hell-bent on fighting a war with America?  The obvious and rational and central-intelligence-supported conclusion is 1) Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, had NO ties to Osama bin Laden (who, during the Gulf War, volunteered to send mujahedeen to Saudi Arabia to fight Saddam Hussein if he should invade the Muslim Holy Land), posed NO credible threat to U.S. Homeland Security, AND THAT BUSH-CHENEY KNEW IT ALL ALONG, and 2) That unconstitutional U.S. interventionism in the Muslim World is the fundamental cause of animosity between al-Qaeda and America; moreover the phenomenon has a name—“blowback”—a CIA term for the unintended consequences of U.S. military/special ops/counter-intelligence in foreign nations.

Yes, without the troop-surge, the situation in Iraq would be more chaotic today than it was last year.  HOWEVER, we would not have needed the troop surge, the staggering debts, the redeployments (stats are out today that suicides among military personnel hit an all-time high this year), the death toll, the original invasion (which WE committed in the War in Iraq), etc. if we had followed the Constitution, international conventions codified into U.S. law, and the sage advice of our Founding Fathers.  Barack Obama was, therefore, ABSOLUTELY CORRECT to oppose the War in Iraq from the beginning, to vote AGAINST THE TROOP SURGE AND THE FUNDING OF THE WAR’S EXPANSION IN ORDER TO FORCE BUSH TO BRING THE TROOPS HOME.  Congress alone has the right to declare war.  Congress has the power of the purse to reign in the excesses of the executive branch and bring it into subjection to the will of the people (whose fortunes it lives and breathes and grows on).  It was NOT un-American and un-patriotic to say in the only words our imperial president understands, “BRING THE TROOPS HOME!  TAKE THEM OUT OF HARM’S WAY!  STOP WASTING AMERICA’S FORTUNE, LIVES, REPUTATION, AND FUTURE.  STOP THIS MADNESS LAWLESSNESS NOW!!!”

Because Bush-Cheney has royally mucked up Iraq, I can understand the argument for nation-building in Iraq; though I do not think it is our business, it is the least we can do—and it seems to be the only lesson the current administration learned from our past history in the Middle East (specifically, the Soviet-Afghan War—implied in Charlie Wilson’s War). 

The Myth of American (and Republican) Exceptionalism: 

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly cited the Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq to justify Russia’s invasion of Georgia and the goal of forcible regime change from the outside (forbidden by international law, the NATO charter, and the treaties of the United States of America) to “liberate” South Ossetia from Georgian “aggression”—echoing Bush-Cheney rhetoric when WMDs failed to turn up in Iraq—as the moral high ground from which they carried out a far larger genocide than the one they “opposed.”  America once held and practiced exceptional ideals.  Since the Spanish-American War, though, we have been no different that the petty European rivals who fought costly wars for the sake of regional (or global) hegemony. 

Cindy McCain is DEAD WRONG when she implies that America—as a global power—is morally exceptional.  She is also wrong that the lying, cheating, thoroughly-corrupted Republican Party is “better” than the Democratic Party.  The Washington John McCain opposes is the Washington dominated for a decade by Republicans in each of the three branches of the federal government.  In John McCain’s defense, he has opposed SOME of the most extremely reckless fiscal policies of the Bush administration and the use of torture to interrogate prisoners of war.  However, he has been a REPEATED proponent of PREMPTIVE MILITARY ACTION and has pledged to continue to “TAKE THE OFFENSIVE IN THE WAR ON TERROR.”  This is NOT change.  This is a third term for the reckless and unconstitutional foreign policy of George W. Bush.

McCain opposes earmarks (though Gov. Sarah Palin does only when it is politically expedient), but earmarks make up a negligible portion of government expenditures.  While Obama would, likely, ratchet up the debt even more than John McCain, the best estimates show that the McCain tax cuts, COUPLED WITH EVEN MORE GOVERNMENT "SOLUTIONS" would add HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of dollars to the already unprecedented BUSH DEFICITS.  This, too, is NOT change.  This is a third term for the reckless and unconstitutional economic policy of George W. Bush.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, AMERICA, DO NOT BE TAKEN IN BY EITHER OF THE TWO MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATES OR THEIR RUNNING MATES.  THEY ARE MORE OF THE SAME, SPECIAL-INTEREST PURCHASED, WASHINGTON INSIDERS THAT ARE WILLING TO TAKE YOUR FORTUNES AND YOUR PEACE AND YOUR SECURITY THROUGH ILL-CONCEIVED, ILLEGAL, ECONOMIC AND FOREIGN POLICIES.  PLEASE VOTE THIRD PARTY THIS NOVEMBER TO EXPRESS YOUR DISSATISFACTION WITH WASHINGTON POLITICS AS USUAL.

i'm in pristine southern utah--absolutely, awe-inspiringly beautiful and majestic!  after a day of hiking among cenotaphs of red rock and driving through wide open cowboy country, we watched the setting sun over bryce canyon and dined on sumtuous fare at the historic lodge; topped off the meal with dulce de leche, returned to our cabin, and gazed at stars through a crystal night sky, while reclining in our own personal hottub.  marvelous!

(pictures will be forthcoming)