The War in Washington

Cable news was filled with Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullin’s testifying in from of congress each show displaying bits and pieces of that testimony about the Libyan Conflict.  After watching them, I was lucky enough to locate the entire occurrence on C-Span.  I wanted to see the entire event myself to make up my own mind about the progress of or the lack their of.  What I saw was not what I had expected.

Washington is broken because each party believes that it is more about them and their party than it is about anyone or anything else.  To a person lawmakers used the phrase “the American people” as if it made what they had to say much more important than the previous questioner.  Frank speak by both Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates was not seen as someone getting straight honest answers but if it was not what that particular lawmaker wanted to hear, it was taken offensively.  There’s a war in Washington and “the American people” are the victims of that war.

Several lawmakers made it a point to inform both the Secretary and the Admiral that they were former military and that gave them extensive knowledge in the question that they asked.  The questions centered on what they called a “permissive environment”.  Being former military also, I wondered just how much more permissive an environment could be if the Senate overwhelmingly asked for this intervention, NATO approved this intervention, Arab Nations begged for this intervention and the rebels pleaded for this intervention.  To me, there is not better “permissive environment than that.

Another issue that seemed to cost lawmakers so much distress was the language of “boots on the ground” and NATO taking command.  The boots on the ground was the true sticker because it was not mentioned by this president that he meant combat boots on the ground so the fact that the CIA was there was enough for some lawmakers to imply that the president had lied to the American public.  Regardless of how many times Gates or Mullins reiterated about no combat boots, it was not enough.  It was mentioned that search and rescue could be considered boots on the ground or the airmen that ejected were boots on the ground.  America is a big part of NATO and because we never run from a fight will support NATO‘s mission but that does not mean we will be any one’s errand boy.  If what is being requested by NATO contradicts with our policies and procedures here in the states, we will refuse to honor their request that I am sure of.  The public has said that they do not wish combat boots on the ground and this administration is following that order.  As the gentleman from Tennessee said in the hearing, there used to be a time when politics stopped at the water’s edge and America stood behind our president instead of openly against him.  Would be nice but this president’s last name is not Bush, he is not a Republican and he is not white.  There is a war going on in Washington and the American public is paying the price.

There are two ways to fix this system which pits Americans against each other to such a degree that the public never receive the respect they deserve and always have to take a back seat to everything else instead of being the priority of all those elected and selected to serve.  The first is to abolish all parties and remove the need to promote party first and constituency service second.  The next is to establish an immediate recall of all elected and selected officials, including Supreme Court Justices, who have lost their moral compass and see the need to sacrifice voters and the rule of law for a ride on corporate jets.   There is a war in Washington between those sent to serve where it is more important to oppose the other person than it is to do the people’s business.  If nothing else a realization must be casted upon the public, money may be a cause for office seekers to chase that billet but it is the vote that puts them in that seat.  We put them there and the power is ours.

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