| The other day it occurred to me that during | | | | can't be democracy any longer. These people do |
| Ronald Reagan's run for the Presidency he | | | | not understand democracy as we understand it. |
| created a "Misery Index". This index represented | | | | The concept of democracy in that part of the |
| a total of the rate of inflation, plus the prime rate, | | | | world has not existed in thousands of years. |
| as an indicator of how the American people felt | | | | Democracy is everybody's SECOND choice in Iraq. |
| about how they were doing. No one has | | | | The Shia and Sunni's are killing each other on a |
| suggested resurrecting this index in recent years. | | | | daily basis in large numbers, some of which are |
| My thought was to create a "Happiness Index". | | | | unreported. Good, decent American troops, none |
| How happy are you with the leadership of the | | | | of which are sons of any member of Congress, |
| country. The problem is that other than taking an | | | | are dying in a war without an objective, except |
| outright poll, how do you determine happiness? | | | | for "Stay the Course". |
| Could you merely ask people if they are happy, | | | | These policies should be unacceptable to all of us |
| or not with the way things are going? | | | | as Americans. The Republican Party in Congress |
| Think about it for a moment, and try to | | | | was a surrogate for President Bush in this election. |
| objectively look at what's been going on the last | | | | The voters could not vent their ANGER at |
| couple of years. For the last fifty years, the | | | | President Bush direct. The electorate chose |
| Republican Party successfully presented itself as | | | | instead, to vent their pent-up anger towards |
| the people's choice for as a strong anti-communist | | | | Republican incumbents, who took a "thumping" as |
| party versus the former Soviet threat. Republican | | | | the President said. Yes there were other issues |
| President after President was elected on the basis | | | | like corruption, but Iraq was the emotional issue. |
| of toughness versus communism. | | | | Had President Bush been up for re-election, he |
| By 1992, communism was no longer an issue as | | | | would have been soundly defeated by even a |
| Russia, and the satellites went democratic, and | | | | paraplegic blind mute this time around. |
| the Berlin Wall had fallen. Suddenly, the Republican | | | | Let's get back to that "happiness index" I spoke |
| Party felt its foreign policy legs come out from | | | | about in the beginning of this article. Are any of us |
| under it. The communist bogeyman which was | | | | happier with the progress of our country over |
| real since 1917 was no longer an issue. A sitting | | | | the last six years than we were before that |
| Republican President, George HW Bush was | | | | period? Are we more optimistic about the future |
| defeated handily by Democratic Candidate, Bill | | | | of our country now than we were a few years |
| Clinton who had NO foreign policy experience, or | | | | ago? Do any of us believe we are headed in the |
| even an understanding of things foreign. During | | | | right direction, or even where we are headed at |
| the campaign that followed, foreign policy was a | | | | all? |
| NON-ISSUE. There was no communist bogeyman | | | | I believe we are now facing MASSIVE |
| for the Republicans to pin their hopes on. | | | | UNRESOLVED PROBLEMS that if not addressed |
| The tragedy of 9/11 changed everything. When | | | | will get worse, and our present leadership is not |
| the tragedy struck, the current President of the | | | | even aware that they exist. America has moved |
| United States was handed terrorism on a silver | | | | from a farming economy pre 1900, to a |
| platter as an issue. Terrorism could then be used | | | | manufacturing economy in the 20th century. It |
| as a replacement for communism as the next | | | | must now complete the move from a |
| boogeyman. Anti-terrorism would serve as the | | | | manufacturing economy, to a services / post |
| underpinning of the Republican Party the same | | | | industrial society in this the 21st century. This is |
| way anti-communism served for over 70 years. | | | | going to be a tough move with big unanticipated |
| The President attacked the Taliban in Afghanistan | | | | downdrafts that can knock us for an economic |
| who had harbored Osama Bin Laden, and his allies | | | | loop. |
| for years. When it came to finishing the job, and | | | | China and the Asian rim want to manufacture |
| surrounding Osama in the mountains of Tora | | | | everything, leaving us with nothing. Some of our |
| Bora, Afghanistan, we let this mass murderer get | | | | brand name companies are more than willing to |
| away by leaving the job to foreign hired | | | | accommodate them. Nike manufactures nothing - |
| mercenaries, the anti Taliban Afkan nationals. I | | | | everything comes from Asia. The massive oil |
| assume we simply did not want to take the | | | | companies in this country including Exxon, and |
| American manpower losses that might have been | | | | others manufacture nothing - they are strictly |
| demanded. | | | | distribution and marketing entities. GM and Ford |
| The President then committed the American | | | | can not compete against Asian manufacturing, and |
| army and wealth to destroying the Saddam | | | | then there's Wal-Mart, which really functions as a |
| Hussein regime in Iraq. Our entry to this war was | | | | distribution arm for China. Eighty percent of |
| based on false premises. There were no weapons | | | | everything Wal-Mart sells comes from China. |
| of mass destruction. We are now left with chaos | | | | This President does not have his eye on the ball, |
| and civil war in that country, and no EXIT | | | | and we are in danger of losing our economic fire |
| STRATEGY. As Americans, not one of us, | | | | power in the next decade. He is asleep at the |
| including the President has any idea how this war | | | | switch, and must realize that we can no longer |
| will finish. He, the President has now placed our | | | | afford the loss of precious lives, and national |
| country in the same position as we were in during | | | | wealth on wars without objectives in countries |
| Viet Nam - Quagmire. | | | | that none of us have ever been to. |
| When Americans enter a war, they need to | | | | We do not have a "Happiness Index" in this |
| know the objective. During WW II, it was the | | | | country, but if we did, I believe we are near a |
| taking of Berlin in Europe, or the fall of Tokyo in | | | | low in our emotional happiness in this country. |
| Japan. In Viet Nam, there was no mission, except | | | | Things have to change, and they have to change |
| the ephemeral objective of keeping South Viet | | | | in a hurry. Time is NOT on our side. Other |
| Nam from going communist. What does that | | | | countries want to eat our economy for lunch, and |
| mean? Depending on how you calculate it, the | | | | displace us as the world's only remaining |
| Viet Nam war went on for about 15 years. How | | | | superpower. This President would do well to act |
| long will Iraq take? | | | | his act together, and start thinking about how to |
| I believe the President has been notified by the | | | | maintain national economic wellbeing in the face of |
| American people in the recent Congressional | | | | the coming foreign economic threats that are |
| election that he is on a "short leash" when it | | | | looming. |
| comes to Iraq. What is the objective in Iraq? It | | | | |