copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
It is said, as individuals, we can achieve all we conceive, if only we truly believe. President Barack Obama once knew this. He lived this veracity. Indeed, candidate Obama's audacity and accomplishments gave Americans hope. When Barack Obama reached for the sky he realized what no one thought he could. The electorate was energized. People came to expect the country was in for a change. Now, it seems Mister Obama is bogged down by what Eisenhower understood, concerns of the Military Industrial Complex.
The intricacy of the Armed Forces mission does not confine itself to forceful martial escalation. Nothing escapes the wide reach of combative nation building. Lives are lost. Limbs crushed. With bullets ablaze, brains are battered or blown to smithereens. Hope suffers. Hearts are hurt. The economy is also affected. |
| Education policies are altered. There are few pennies left to provide for adequate instruction. Health care coverage fiscal calculations related to medical treatments and delivery of services are transformed. The billions of dollars spent on defense surpasses any other consideration. This fiscal truth is obviously not lost on a Commander-In-Chief burdened with the need to appease his many Advisors, most of whom, from the beginning, were intent on war.
President Obama could not ignore or forget his own earlier rhetoric. After all, his words "Afghanistan is a war of necessity," helped him win over the hearts and minds of Conservatives and Independents during the recent election. As one who believes and works to builds consensus, some say President Obama chose to take the middle path.
With his decision to send more troops, into Afghanistan, the President has shattered the dreams of many. Another surge will mean countless communities will wait for more dollars to spend at home. A patient nation, for a while longer, will remain proud and stay the course.
For now, only eight percent, the progressive fringe, feel a deepening sense of hopelessness. Millions of Independents have also lost faith. When only 36 percent of these think President Obama has done a fine job that could prove to be a problem.
If, over time, personal pains become more profound, the exorbitant budgetary imbalance will not be ignored. Misery amongst the masses will likely bring more voices of dissent.
In this moment, those on the far Left feel they must vocalize the sentiment heard in society at-large. However, without reason to believe, with signs that change has not come to those most in need, the public will turn nasty. Timidity, as history reveals, is transitory.
Just as we witnessed in the 1960s, again in 2008, a war weary population becomes disheartened, and loud. Americans who struggle to survive, and who realize billions, no trillions of dollars are spent on the fight, will ultimately, speak out vociferously
This week, President Obama quoted his predecessor, General Eisenhower,, "Each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs." Then, contrary to Ike's caution, he bowed to the Military Industrial Complex, Should Mister Obama continue down this path people of all walks of life are likely to rise up and say; The change we once believed in, our hope, has become our sense of hopelessness.
References for the reality of hope and hopelessness . . .
- Barack Obama elected 44th president. By Alex Johnson. MSNBC. November 5, 2009
- Obama's approval rating high, but will it last? By Paul Steinhauser. Cable News Network. April 23, 2009
- Military Industrial Redux. Editorial. The New York Times. May 21, 2009
- Interview with Thomas Friedman and Richard Holbrooke. Global Public Square with Fareed Zakaria. Cable News Network. December 6, 2009
- Wartime brain injuries could reach 360,000. Associated Press. MSNBC. March.4, 2009
- The U.S. Department of Education 2010 Budget. White House Office of Management and Budget.
- The U.S. Department of Defense 2010 Budget. White House Office of Management and Budget.
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010 Budget. White House Office of Management and Budget.
- What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week's Key Polls. Rasmussen Reports . Saturday, December 05, 2009
- Obama approval rating below 50 percent. Cable News Network. December 5, 2009
- Obama's Advisers Divided On Afghan War, By Tom Gjelten. National Public Radio. October 1, 2009
- U.S. officials look at scenarios for Afghanistan 'middle path'. By Julian E. Barnes and Christi Parsons. The Los Angeles Times. October 15, 2009>
- When Our Leaders Fail to Lead. By David Korten. Yes. December 2, 2009
- Most see Bush presidency as a failure, poll shows. By Paul Steinhauser. Cable News Network. January 18, 2009
- Opinion Research. Cable News Network. December 4, 2009
- Text of President Obama's speech on Afghanistan. By The Associated Press. December 1, 2009
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