Approximately 75% of the American public is lining up in opposition to the war in Iraq and the vast, vast majority of people do not want to escalate the war by sending in more troops.
I would say that the vast, vast, vast majority of Americans totally support our troops and want what is best for them. Many feel that our troops are in harm’s way in a war that cannot be won. The soldiers have done a fabulous and heroic job but they are in the middle of a dreadful civil war and have become, through no fault of their own, the common enemy of both side.
President Bush wanted this war, got it, and it’s on his watch. At this point, he’s calling the shots. Congress has consistently failed to do its job.
The Constitution of the United States holds that the declaration of war is the responsibility of the Congress. The American Congress has not declared war since 1941 and has stood by and watched and allowed Presidents to take us into Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War I, Afghanistan, Gulf War II, and various other skirmishes. There have been some debates but there has been no declaration of war since we ventured into World War II after Pearl Harbor. Frankly, they have failed the nation time and time again. Both parties are to blame----both parties have allowed Presidents of their own party to make war at will.
We ventured into our current war with faulty intelligence or good intelligence that was misread or good intelligence that was altered to make the war seem like the right thing to do. Congress voted to authorize the war, but did not declare war. They voted to authorize the war at the President’s discretion, not their own.
Time has passed and it has become increasingly evident that we had no occupation strategy after being welcome as liberators. We found ourselves and continue to find ourselves in the middle of a mess.
Congress has again let the people down.
The House voted to pass a non-binding resolution not supporting the President and the President’s plan to expand our troop count. Non-binding. Non-binding? This means that they huffed and puffed and made a big sound, but other than embarrassing President Bush it serves no purpose. If they were, in fact, opposed to the war and his efforts in running the war, non-binding is an insult to the American people. The Democrats may have won the House, but they failed to serve the troops and the nation.
The Senate was worse. They were also going the chicken-hearted route of the non-binding resolution and Senate Republicans blocked it. Same folks who failed to do their job before are failing to do their job now. Shame on the Senate Republicans for suppressing a debate and a vote and shame on Senate Democrats for going the non-binding route.
This war will go down in history as President Bush’s war. Unless things change dramatically it will go down in history as his great and tragic folly. It is not, however, entirely his fault. Congress ought to be held accountable for not doing their job.
We have, sadly, a broken government, and both parties are more interested in making each other look bad than they are in governing.
2 comments:
Truly inspirational blog, to me. Our family agrees with you on every word you posted about this mess with Congress and the Senate and the President.
We never saw any point in the non-binding resolution Congress was pushing, and we sent e-mails to both Evan Bayh and Baron Hill. Now, Baron is quoted as saying he thinks evidence may be being manufactured again so we can attack Iran.
It truly is a scary world these days. In college, I remember the debates we would all have as to whether we should even have children; whether they would live or not with futures -- and that was back in 1974.
Your other postings are inspirational to me, also. When I was a young pup and my grandmother took care of me, we would be in attendance at whatever church service was going on in town. I remember many a tent revival going for two weeks at a time, and we would be there each and every evening.
Once my father got out of the service and remarried, we were raised in the Methodist Church. My two brothers and I received seven years worth of pins for never missing Sunday School. Church prayer breakfasts would be at 6:00 am, before school, every Wednesday. We wouldn't be allowed to wear "pants" (no matter how cold it was) to even the Church prayer breakfasts for the youth.
We couldn't shop on Sundays; no washing of clothes; no sewing; nothing but church and family over for dinner and dishes upon dishes to wash.
My grandmother always said "Jeffy", my brother, was going to be her little preacher boy. Sure enough, Jeff is getting ready to retire down in South Carolina after having been an ordained Methodist Minister for 30 years now.
My grandmother instilled my faith, which is still my rock today. She died at the age of 95, and seven different preachers of different faiths preached at her funeral. The words of praise and piety heaped upon her; well, let's just say I've never heard of such before or since.
My father found religion at the age of 60, and he is now a fundamentalist Baptist. Sometimes I worry about their level of tolerance, a word I hold sacred, but that's his business.
He's been upset I haven't moved my membership from the church where I was raised. When I tell him I am looking for a Church where I can talk to the Minister, and there's not four or five others to go through before I get to him; when they don't want to know how much money I make on the back of the pew on the cards they now put in there (I know I am suppose to tithe 10%); I'm afraid I've grown leary of "organized" religion, though my faith knows no bounds. It's proven to be the only way I have survived.
You have given me hope that maybe the ministry I have long been looking for does still exist. Thank you for that. It's been too long.
Wow. Thanks. Actually, I am somewhat questioning about organized religion. That's what I like about the United Church of Christ. No one has ever accused us of being particularly organized.
Post a Comment