I find it odd that there’s not more news about the war in Iraq. When things were going poorly, the mainstream media couldn’t get enough of it. Now that a deal has been reached for all combat troops to be out by 2011 and no troops in Iraqi cities by next summer, you hardly hear a peep about it on the news. I think there is one big reason for this.
1. This deal signals that we have won the war. The fighting may not be over, but the outcome is clear. Countries don’t sign deals like this if the major objectives have not been met. The surge worked and those who gave their lives and health(physical and emotional scars that will never fully heal) did not do so in vain. I’m not just talking about US troops either. The Iraqi’s have suffered through Saddam’s regime and now a brutal war. If you are a politician that has been critical of the war since the start, how do you respond to this? If you ran to end the war and bring the troops home then what do you run on now? Though you may disagree with the reasons we went to war and how it was initially handled, shouldn’t you celebrate that now, in fact, it’s “Mission Accomplished?” When the next president takes office, the wheels will already be in motion to bring all the troops home. Now, I believe that the war ending and the troops coming home is fantastic news. Some networks don’t even think it’s news. I’m interested to see how much Obama mentions it in his speech Thursday night because so far the war hasn’t been discussed much at the DNC.
Just once, I want to hear a convention speech with details instead of cliches. I want someone to say, we will pay for Universal Health Care by raising taxes on everyone making over X amount of dollars and by cutting spending in these areas. During the primaries, Ron Paul was always very specific in what he would do and although I rarely agreed with him I appreciated his honesty and passion. Now, we hear that the candidates have energy plans to invest in alternative fuels and decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Ok, but how are you planning to do that? The big knock against drilling now is that we won’t see results for ten years. By that logic, all cancer and AIDS research should be ended because a cure hasn’t been found yet. Or, we shouldn’t try to pay off the national debt because we won’t see results for 10 years. I have signed the drill here drill now petition, I know that alone is not going to be enough, but like both candidates, I don’t have a clear, concise plan either.
Finally, Michelle Obama told the inspiring story of how her father overcame MS and gave his children a better life. At no point in the story did she mention the government programs that bailed him out, made decisions for him, and got him out of bed an hour early everyday so he could dress himself. To me, what her father did is not just the American dream, but everyone’s dream: To have the strength to overcome our obstacles and take care of those around us. Her and Barack both overcame a lot to reach the place where they are at. Whether they know it or not, they’re the poster children for conservatism. Look what people can do when they work hard and set their minds to something. They didn’t need the government coddling them along the way. They just needed a chance. Too many times, big government is more of a stumbling block than a stepping stone. Of course, if the church were truly doing it’s job, the government could do it’s job instead of trying to do ours. More on that tomorrow.