The New Surge
I have a thought about Obama and his new move to increase funding for our military engagement in Afghanistan. MoveOn has taken the position that it is "wrong" to escalate the war and that we should keep our money at home and deal with our own crises before spending our wealth across the globe. I happen to agree with this argument, but I also see a possibility that I haven't heard mentioned by either side.
The possibility that I hope for is this: that Obama is not entirely a pawn of the military industrial machine, and that the US approach to military efforts under his administration might be a world apart from what happened under Shrub. In other words, Obama and his clan might just cause some positive change with the funding that he seeks. His military extravagance might set the stage for a whole new political balance in the middle east. His attempts to influence matters diplomatically will be bolstered by a strong and controlled military presence.
So while I have a peacenik predilection, I can imagine that this troop surge could potentially be a completely different endeavor than the last one. Good work could be done through military funding, if the leadership and strategy are brilliant. I like to think that Obama is capable of brilliance in many spheres. Or, to entertain the darker side possibility, Obama may be in the grip of the politico-military-industrial machine and this surge could just be another pilfering of our coffers by Haliburton et al. I don't know, but I still have the audacity to hope.
The possibility that I hope for is this: that Obama is not entirely a pawn of the military industrial machine, and that the US approach to military efforts under his administration might be a world apart from what happened under Shrub. In other words, Obama and his clan might just cause some positive change with the funding that he seeks. His military extravagance might set the stage for a whole new political balance in the middle east. His attempts to influence matters diplomatically will be bolstered by a strong and controlled military presence.
So while I have a peacenik predilection, I can imagine that this troop surge could potentially be a completely different endeavor than the last one. Good work could be done through military funding, if the leadership and strategy are brilliant. I like to think that Obama is capable of brilliance in many spheres. Or, to entertain the darker side possibility, Obama may be in the grip of the politico-military-industrial machine and this surge could just be another pilfering of our coffers by Haliburton et al. I don't know, but I still have the audacity to hope.