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President Obama/Trump Makes America Great Again

I wasn't paying any attention to the news for a few days. So it was shocking to learn of President Dubya/Obama/Hilary/theDonald's attack on Syria. But why was I surprised?

Donald Trump doesn't have the patience for walking important legislation through Congress. He is no deal-making, arm-twisting, cajoling political leader. Who cares whether Americans can afford health care, college,  or $60,000 pickup trucks. He is simply an egotistical, knee-jerking, publicity hound, who is going to enjoy military bluster around the globe.

That's why I wouldn't vote for him (or the other candidate.)

I have a lot of catching up to do with reading editorials. So far, they look pretty good. But then again, they are missing the point. It doesn't matter about the Why or the Who Did It. It only matters that a large fraction of the American public likes having a militaristic strong man in the White House.

They ain't got no interest in nambie pambie doubts and complaints such as:

1. What legal right did Trump have?

2. Has Syria attacked the USA?

3. What vital American interest is at stake?

4. What reason would Assad have to play with chemical weapons, when he is winning the war anyway?

5. If president Obama/Trump did succeed in deposing Assad, who would replace him, and why would he be any better?

6. What the hell is the USA doing in Syria anyway?

But jingoes don't care about that. They want to stick out their chests and walk with an extra bounce in their steps because they feel strong. Their country is strong. They wanted a president who said he'd make America great again, and -- according to the jingoes -- the president has. No arguments matter.

Comments

Anonymous said…
You are so 100% right on. American imperialism at its finest. Should we have expected anything less from this narcissist? Woe is us.

Chris
Thanks, Chris. But maybe you are letting me off the hook too easily.
XXXXX said…
Yes, I think Chris let you off too easily. Thanks for saying that.

Very complicated issues. Your 6 questions which you are using as the moral gauge are not the only questions one can ask. The simple question I would ask you is if you saw your neighbor beating his dog to death, would you just walk away and say "it's not my dog" or would you intervene, knowing that legally a dog is simply considered a possession and you can be held legally accountable for any direct action you might take against the owner?
It's hard to define moral ground and I guess it's up to each one of us individually to figure that out for ourselves.
But, for me personally, I think the action was long overdue. I would hope that in this day and age we can expect, even demand, that our world leaders not go about killing their own people.

George
William said…
Another example why I always read your posts. You have a refreshingly different perspective on reality. No group-think (received wisdom) for you! Of course, it may be because you do not belong to any group. Very hard to belong to a group and keep one's perspectives/values if they clash with the group's.
Anonymous said…
George, I respect your opinion but disagree with your interference logic. Given some time for research, we could probably come up with 50 places in the world where over the last 10 years some government has committed equally horrific but less publicized attacks on its citizens. Why did we not intervene in those cases?

Chris
Michael said…
"What the hell is the US doing in Syria anyway" Not to state the obvious, but, ISIS declared war/annihilation of the USA. Raqqa, Syria is the capitol if that group. That should answer #2 also.
XXXXX said…
Good question, Chris. I suppose that any country, bottomline, is only interested in its own neck. That makes sense since the basic responsibility of any government is to its own people. ISIS and any group like it who hates Christians and the West is an obvious threat to us.
I support this particular action because it was limited to the airbase which supposedly sent off the planes which delivered the gas. We could do this from a nearby ship so never set foot on the ground nor sent planes above which could be shot down. Recent conversation about deposing Assad are unfortunate, IMHO. We do this all the time.....not knowing when to stop. We smell a little success and we think there's more if we continue along the same lines.
So, to answer your question.....we don't intervene in the other situations because it has nothing to do with us.
This war between Christians and Muslims has gone on since the beginning of Islam. As we strive for peace, which I think you and I both want and many others as well, it is a careful balance between being peaceful ourselves but also holding our ground. I don't think a 100% pacifist stance works against people who are very happy to kill us.

George
Anonymous said…
Your blog post is illuminating. The problem is that with regard to interventionism, Obama, Hillary, and Trump are all cut from the same cloth. I understand that chemical weapons are evil, but dead is dead. Temporarily knocking out an airfield somehow related to the use of chemical weapons doesn't seem intended to do much of anything. We told the Russians before we did it. They told Syrians. The airfield was basically evacuated and re-opened a short time later. What the hell are we doing?
The showboating presidential clown/blowhard wanted to make his hands look bigger.
Anonymous said…
Haters gonna hate