Monday, April 25, 2011

The Three Amigos Meet The Three Stooges

In case you may have forgotten, the United States is at war in Libya.  US Special Operation forces are on the ground, US bombs have been dropped on Libyan command and control targets and US Predator drones patrol the air.  The goal is to remove Colonel Gadhafi from power.  What happens afterwards is anybody’s guess. This has been identified as a NATO operation but its success or failure is totally dependent on the extent of US military involvement. 
There are already signs that the operation is failing.  Gadhafi is not interested in leaving.  He has successfully held off the NATO backed rebel advances to the point of a military stalemate.  Our NATO allies are calling for even more US intervention.
Back here in the states sabers are rattling.  Senators McCain, Graham and Lieberman are calling for the President to ramp up his efforts in Libya.  They fear the repercussions of a Gadhafi victory both in terms of US prestige and the subsequent escalation of Libyan sponsored terrorist attacks.  An increase in US activity seems eminent.
We all know that Senators McCain, Graham and Lieberman have never met a war they didn’t like.  You can always count on these Three Amigos to lead the charge for interjecting the US military into every international crisis.  But sometimes their lack of forethought makes them look more like the Three Stooges; for while urging the President to “ramp up” his efforts in Libya they are calling for fiscal economic restraint and drastic budget cuts here at home.
Republicans have always managed to somehow walk the tightrope between fiscal restraint and military aggression.  They are as easily willing to blow things up as they are to cut heating assistance to the poor and elderly.  The fact that McCain, Graham and Lieberman are calling on the President to spend billions in Libya while at the same time refusing to raise the debt ceiling in order to stem government spending seems lost on them.  But then again they are emblematic of many of their party brethren.
This country is broke and Libya is not our war.  If the Three Amigos genuinely fear for our economic survival then spending must be stopped.  Libya is a good place to start.
       

No comments:

Post a Comment