Isolationism by another name
President Obama announced a new defense strategy today shifitng military focus and priorities to Asia. The new concept abandons the idea of a two war, two front military capability that has been American dogma since World War II.
American defense posture has just fallen on the budget sword, though many words will be spilled denying same. It is isolationism prettied up with fancy words, and will work no better than previous efforts.
A quick look at history. In the 1920′s Britain, fatigued from the cost and bloodshed of World War I, began a pull-back from empire. America too cut the military believing that the war to end all wars really had. Japan fresh from its victory over Russia exploited this weakness with an invasion of China. World War II was the result. With the Allied victory, Britain again gave up it’s pre-eminence ‘east of Suez.’ Instability and disaster in the middle east followed.
A decline in the political and military will of the dominant power results in a vacuum, and politics as nature abhors a vacuum. From the 20′s on Japan filled the vacuum left by Britain. After World War II Britain again pulled back and America filled the gap. After decades of political effort, blood and treasure expended America too is pulling up stakes east of Suez. Who will fill the vacuum created by our departure?
The world is a flammable place these days. The last thing we need is disarmament by budget cuts disguised as a grand new strategy. Military readiness and national security is not accomplished by budget cutting anymore than quality medical care is achieved by rationing.
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Learning to be human
It is our consciousness, our choices and our ability to find solutions to problems – including our own – that makes us human. This is hard, messy, imperfect and is the stuff of life.
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McCain endorses Romney
Jon Huntsman nails it.
“It seems the more establishment piles on, Dole, McCain, all the rest, nobody cares. Nobody cares about this. I mean, none of the endorsements that Romney picked up have been a thing in terms of how people respond, because the people are looking for a new generation of leadership. They’re looking for a new approach to problem solving in this country. You can get all the Doles and McCains in the world as Romney probably will, but in the end, nobody cares.”
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Message from Iowa
The media spin of late is that Romney is the Republican nominee get over it. The message coming out of Iowa is no, not yet, let’s have a horse race first. Iowans showed the march to a Romney coronation has a flat tire. Eight votes between the establishment appointed nominee and the ex-senator of single digits until two weeks ago means the nomination is still anyone’s prize.
It is not over. Iowa was not a Romney win. A three-way tie is not a win by any rational measure. Both teams don’t win the Super Bowl. Three atheletes don’t win a race. Iowa was a three way tie. Romney is not inevitable. A politician who never polls better than 25% is not inevitable. A race with four front runners (Romney, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich) since fall is not over. This election is too important to be closed out this early and everyday citizens know it.
Conservatives now have a last opportunity to spread the message that this election is about restoring the founder’s vision of America as a collection of individual citizens not about special interest groups. It is about spending, national defense, federalism, and immigration.
America is about individuals, not special interests. Just the words ‘special interest’ groups scream sectarianism. The very idea that one group’s needs are more important than others is advancing one group/interest over the good of all citizens or the country as a whole. Think about it. Are the needs of teachers more important than construction workers? Are airline pilots more important than farmers? Millions of individuals with common values working together create a society’s fabric, not government rule makers. The government ought not to be choosing winners and losers.
Now is the time to select a candidate who will actively promote restoring America. Conservatives seek a candidate who will go after the socialist opposition, and not be bound by some hazy political correctness. Now is the time when the right can influence the outcome.
Victory in November is job one. Don’t squander the opportunity Iowa gave us.
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Weak Dollar policies not America’s way forward
As the campaign season heats up we will likely hear candidates and incumbents talk about ways we can become more competitive in world commerce. The principal idea advanced for decades is ‘floating the Dollar.’ The idea being a declining Dollar makes our goods more competitive abroad and helps domestic business. Phooey.
If a weak dollar were the path to prosperity, we would think of the 1970s and the Bush/Obama era as the good old days. Continue reading
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