Barack Obama speaks eloquently of his concerns for our soldiers in Afghanistan, never failing to point out that the war in Afghanistan would be going better if the bulk of our troops and resources weren't diverted to Iraq. Remember, the Iraq War is the war he opposed when he wasn't yet a member of the United States Senate. Mr. Obama likes to talk about what he would have done before he was a member of the senate and what he will do if he becomes president. Right now, though, Barack Obama is not only a member of the United States Senate, he's a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. For the past year, he's been chairman of the Subcommittee on European Affairs which oversees the role of NATO in places like, oh, Afghanistan and even Iraq. What an opportunity for Senator Obama to take action!
In the past year, though, Senator Obama hasn't taken action. He hasn't convened a single meeting of his committee. He defends his lack of involvement by saying that he is in the midst of a presidential campaign. Is that an acceptable reason to ignore his responsibilities as a senator? In 2007, the year during which Senator Obama could have been more involved in talks with NATO regarding Afghanistan, "U.S. military deaths, suicide bombings and opium production [in Afghanistan] hit record highs," according to an article by the Associated Press in Army Times. While Senator Obama campaigned and complained about our flawed strategy in Afghanistan, 110 United States troops died in 2007. If NATO's role in Afghanistan were expanded, perhaps the American troops would not have been in harm's way. Unfortunately, though, the man who has the power to encourage NATO to do more in Afghanistan is too busy telling his fans that "words matter."
Excellent article! Isn't it funny how all of our left wing publications have ignored issues like this in favor of spreading the Obama gospel? HuffPo has been especially obvious, and it used to be one of my favorite places to read the news.
Posted by: Jane | February 28, 2008 at 12:21 PM