Recent tragedies in the Middle East make the Obama decision that much tougher.
The bombings overseas this past week highlight both sides of the war debate here in America. Both sides have valid points. Both sides will press President Obama to decide in their favor regarding the next steps for the United States in the dual-theatre overseas war on terror.
One side will note the continued bombings and scores of deaths from suicide missions and insurgencies as a clear sign that the recommendations made by General Stanley McChrystal must be met 100%, providing the Americans the ability to take these deadly challenges on directly. By providing the armed forces a needed “shot in the arm” in the form of some 40,000 additional troops, the United States could become better positioned to stabilize both Iraq and Afghanistan, a move that supporters state should provide an environment less likely to foster Al-Qaeda and other terrorists intent on harming America.
Interestingly enough, there are others that see the same events and note that they are indicators that America’s time in the region (for now) has passed. Despite years of involvement in the quest to eradicate America’s terroristic enemies, those opposing additional involvement in the region point to the a misguided effort in Iraq, failure to publicly find weapons of mass destruction post-Saddam Hussein, and a perception that seems to reflect a “two-steps forward, one step back” effort that costs American lives and resources. This comes at a time when the national economy continues to falter and the deficit runs in the trillions of dollars.
The historic decision to recoup in the region or retreat will not show its aftermath for years down the road.
Although American lives must be honored and protected at every turn, it is clear that we must work to take this fight to our enemies on their land – away from American soil. As the recent plots in Dallas and New York have shown us, even with our efforts to win the battle at the source of terrorism, we will endure times when efforts emigrate from their origins to our shores. That said, we will never eliminate the threats completely while being on the defensive. We must be on the offensive to uproot the weeds of terrorism before they choke away any more innocent lives.
The question, of course, is how and when, a decision that Team Obama must consider soon in order to take the fight back to our enemies in a fashion that will ensure victory.
Lenny McAllister is a national political commentator and author of “Diary of a Mad Black PYC (Proud Young Conservative),” available online at www.tinyurl.com/lennysdiary and www.amazon.com. He is featur
