So, it is okay to dither about Afghanistan. By all means, Mr Obama, take your time responding to General McChrystal's request for troops. Nine or ten or twelve months of stagnation of our mission in Afghanistan is not important, as long as you get it right, right? By all means, let us wait while American soldiers are dying and the American taxpayer is going broke and the liberal American news media is going through such contortions to keep defending you that they will end up in a rehab hospital. Let us wait until there is a corruption-free government in Afghanistan, until Jimmy Carter certifies their elections are fair, until the Pakistanis clean up the Swat valley, until Ahmadinejad has a nuke. Dither away.
But health care reform? That, Mr. Obama, is an EMERGENCY. Heck, if you do not sign a health care bill by the end of the year, why, some democrat congressmen might not get re-elected in 2010! That would be a bloody shame. Never mind that not one single member of Congress or your administration understands the legislation; never mind that not one single government agency can produce a believable estimate of the cost of the thing; never mind that H.R. 3200 and the Baucus Bill were bought and paid for by the insurance industry, the SEIU, the hospitals and the Trial Lawyers Association; never mind that, a la Hillary Clinton, the whole process of creating the monstrosity has been cloaked in secrecy and politics. No dithering allowed on this.
Mr. Obama, one of the challenges of being President is knowing when to dither. You, my friend, have a lot of learning to do.
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1 comment:
1. Dithering? When the US went to oil-war with Iraq, because of its non-existent relationship to 9/11, Bush sent roughly 1/3 the number of troops recommended by military experts, which is just one of many, many reasons the aftermath of the war (aka, the war that is still going on in that happy, peaceful, U.S. loving democratic country) was such a disaster. But, maybe you're right. Maybe Obama should, instead of planning carefully and thoughtfully, just go with his gut.
2. Dithering? I guess bush's gut told him to ignore Afghanistan for 5 years. But I doubt if he'd have used the elitist term "dithering" to describe his inaction.
3. Secrecy and politics? The bill can be read online. Do you have internet? http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf
4. Gee, it must be nice to be able to afford health care.
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