It appears that President Obama may be on the brink of making a good decision on Afghanistan. Recently, he has been presented with four models that call for the addition of 20,000 and up to 40,000 troops in that theatre. Despite the advice, it appears as if new information now has caused the President to seek a new direction.
On Veteran's Day American honors it's Veterans both fallen, living, past and present. While we can thank those that have served previously and died for our freedoms it is our duty as a country to honor also those who are serving now, and will hopefully soon return home and finish their service. What better way to honor these present soldiers than to make sure that these Veterans will have opportunity and jobs when they begin civilian life??
In a stark turn from the former Congress and Administration, the Senate followed suit with the House in extending new hate crimes protections to Homosexuals and members of the military. The bill had been offered up numerous times by the late Senator Ted Kennedy and stalled in the Senate. While George W. Bush was in office, he had vowed to veto it if it would have passed. However, a new day has dawned and the current Senate saw fit to pass the measure which President Obama has vowed to sign.
With the fresh call for troops lawmakers are beginning to take sides on escalation in Afghanistan. The war-weary public seems to be tired of constant war and the death and expense attached to it but just like on the public option lawmakers seem to want to do just what they want. With no defined goals and no end in sight, Republicans and many Democrats want to escalate war in Afghanistan. Two Democrats seem to define the differences of opinion on this subject.
While the healthcare fight rages we should remember a huge policy decision is going to be made in regarding the Afghanistan War. In the days leading up to it I really believe that Americans need to let President Obama know that we wish to see a light at the end of these deadly, expensive nightmarish tunnels that have become will forever be known as the "War on Terror". I am no expert but I really think that it is time we came up with some concrete objectives and a timeline to achieve them in. Some new poll numbers have given me pause however.
Many Progressives have begun to question the direction the President is going in Afghanistan. It has of course been 9 years since that conflict began and besides the countless human tragedy of deaths and injuries for American soldiers and Afghani civilians, there has been the untold cost of maintaining an American prescence in that country. Worse yet, the government propped up by the Bush Administration which the new Administration seeks to maintain appears to be a joke that is none to funny.
Of course by now nobody has to be told that today was the eighth anniversery of the 9-11 attacks. This event served as the Kennedy assasination of this generation, an event everyone remembers where they were when it happened and an event that some will forever dispute. No matter what anyone's feelings on the wars that sprang up into response for these events one thing remains true.
Lost in all the talk about healthcare another important decision with many lives at stake still has to be made. I did not approve of America continuing open-ended committments in the middle-east and I still do not. I did not agree with Obama when he initiated a "surge" in Afganistan. I think it is time for us to set firm timetables and bring our troops home from Iraq and Afganistan. Now, it appears one Congressman's patience is beginning to wear thin too.
