Barack Obama has been President of the United States for two-hundred and eighty-eight days. In that time span, he has played twenty-four rounds of golf, attended twenty-three Democratic fundraisers, and made zero decisions on Afghanistan. Do I care about how many times the President has birdied the third hole or the length of his vacation? No, but I do care about our soldiers fighting for out freedoms abroad.
Repeatedly, Obama has declared Afghanistan a war of necessity. However, as is the case with most of his presidency, the difference between rhetoric and action is vast. The first responsibility given to the President in the Constitution is the command of the armed forces. As Commander in Chief, he must lead, which means actually making a decision. This is not a decision he can just punt. His current limbo position does not fulfill his duty. Afghanistan will not just disappear. The situation will not improve if he waits it out. It requires a decision from the head of the world’s last superpower. Every single day the President fails to make a decision, he hurts our efforts and adds to the casualty count. Indecision does not exactly send local tribal leaders into our arms. It is tough to back the strong horse if you are unsure it will finish the race. The tribal leaders know if they side with the United States who then exits, their tribes will be the first to suffer at the hands of the Taliban. Understandably, the tribal leaders have no reason to believe we are prepared to empty the clip for them.
It is not only the Afghans who are losing faith but also our own soldiers. Reports of low morale should concern all Americans. No matter the time, the place or the enemy, our soldiers should know the President and the country stand firmly behind them.
Does the president understand this? I hope he is beginning to. While I am not a fan of the cameras at Dover Air Force Base, I was glad to see the president receiving the fallen soldiers. The president needs to be faced with the realities of his decisions as well as show his respect and support to the men and women keeping the Stars and Bars flying proud. Even if the event was precipitated by the need for good PR (it does have that particular beat of an Axelrod/Emanuel/Jarret media dance), the image of flag-draped caskets hopefully strikes the heart and mind of Barack Obama.
We speak of winning the hearts and minds of local populations, but the real question is whether or not we have the heart and mind of our president. Does he see a future for a democratic Afghanistan, free from the brutality of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda? Does he have the utmost confidence in his commanders and his soldiers? More than anything our soldiers need a president with steel in his blood vessels and fire in his heart. I am not concerned with President Barack Obama, the great uniter, the great orator, the man of hope and change. I care about President Barack Obama, Commander in Chief of the United States Military. Can he live up to that title?
Last week, the President declared he “will never rush the solemn decision” to send soldiers to combat. I would hope so, but we are not operating from square one. In over eight years, we have lost the lives of nine hundred and nine soldiers and spent billions of dollars. Our soldiers are already in harm’s way and passing through Death’s door. Without a decision, the President is leaving our soldiers in limbo. No matter how politicians try to spin it, war ends in two ways: victory or defeat. The president has to decide what will define his presidency. Does he want to be a Chamberlain and give up the Sudetenland or does he want to be a Churchill and pledge to never “flag or fail?”
Bobby DesPain ’11 is a biology major from St. Louis, MO. Contact him at bodespain@davidson.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!