I really don't know what I think about Obama's speech last night on Afghanistan or his decision to send in tens of thousands more troops. In my heart, I want us to pull the fuck out of there immediately and stop trying to be Team America: World Police.But when I step back and think about the alternatives and how things could be different, the image of John McCain and/or Sarah Palin making the decision instead of Obama scares the living daylights out of me.
A reader at the Dish frames it well:
McCain, who was so glib in attacking Obama during the campaign for offering nothing but platitudes, said he didn’t agree with Obama’s approach because it “emboldens our enemies” and “we have to stay until we win.” Well, those are helpful guideposts, and basically what the strategy has been in our two wars for the last eight years that has pretty much gotten us nowhere. I then got to thinking about McCain and his choice of running mate, Sarah Palin. I thought about what it would be like if she were President and having to determine a policy and give a speech in a situation similar to Obama’s. That thought literally caused me to shudder. And the fact that McCain chose Palin as a running mate, and a sub-segment of the current Republican party believes she actually has the chops to hold the highest office in the land shows the type of judgment that will now allow a left-leaning moderate like me to even consider voting for a Republican anytime soon.Say what you will about Obama and his decision. The reality is that this would be much much worse with a different skipper at the helm.
