Bush's Failures

In a recent post describing the failures of the Bush Administration and the on-going war we face, I found some points that I take serious issue with. Firstly, the office of the president is one of respect and dignity. As Americans, we are to support our Commander and Chief. I have no problem with a display of disagreement, that is your first amendment right to voice your opinion, but to disrespect him I find as unpatriotic, if not treason. All things are permissible, not all things are profitable. I can easily proclaim that I disagree with Obama and his latest excursions and decisions, but I don’t refer to him as the babbling faerie. His position is one of respect, and thus, it is our duty to treat him as such. The facts of the Bush Administration will not be completely revealed for another fifty years. Everything presented as such, is rooted in opinion, agenda, and speculation. I did not agree with everything Bush did, but I’ve never met the man, so I surely cannot refer to him as ignorant or stupid. Running a country can’t be the litmus test for intelligence.
Secondly, military intelligence is complicated. When I went to enlist with the Marine Corps Reserve, I was asked to enter the Intel field. I was briefed upon the job description (MOS), but promptly turned it down to accept the MOS of machine gunner. Why would I turn down a desk job for the most deadly job specialty in world? Intelligence analysts have to be brilliant. They have to posses unparalleled focus, and an ability to sit in a dark, window-less room for thirty hours at a time, staring at monitors. Additionally, you have to have clearance to do your job correctly. If I, as an intel analyst, intercept an email between two figures on the CIA’s watch list, and among the topics includes detailed summaries of bomb configurations, I have ample reason to pursue that lead. However, if I do not have clearance to pursue them, or have to wait to pursue them while I get clearance, the opportunity may be missed. Red tape, such as the right to privacy, dictate the boundaries of your job. And if you miss something, the deaths of all those involved are on your shoulders. I would rather be responsible for the twelve men I kill with a .50 cal, and risk my life, than be responsible for the perishing of an entire city because I missed an censored word alert at four in the morning, or was disallowed to continue my pursuit for legal reasons. Simple mistakes cost lives in this field. Now explain to me, what part did the president, or his administration have in this? Bin Laden escaped. That’s not a fault, that’s a fact. But no, we have to blame it on somebody, right? Bush did it. It’s his fault.
We are already involved in the area. The stability of the region depends on our current inhabitation. If we were to up and leave, it would collapse, and everything would have been pointless. Thus a repeat of Vietnam. When it comes to coordination, we have a bi-partisan system. How are we ever going to have coordination on a subject that is disagreed upon. Republicans are attempting to fund a war, while democrats are attempting to yank funding and call foul play. Honestly, we can afford neither, but how can we support our troops and provide the backing they need while half of the country is banking on failure, just so that they can claim, “I told you so!”. How low is that?

What we convey to our men and women that protect us:

“Hey soldier. You’re going over to the Middle East to root out terrorists that may, or may not, want to kill your family. But, just so you know, you’re doing it for nothing. In fact, you’re going to die for nothing. Have fun.”

What we post on our bumpers:

“We support our troops!”.

Yeah, that’s convincing.

The only thing that I agree with in this post is the statement,”By sending our troops overseas, we are doing nothing but losing our soldiers and loved ones.” We are responsible for the deaths of our soldiers, simply because we are not equipping them to do their job. Honestly, I’m more proud to work with the United States Marine Corps, than I am to be a citizen of the United States. At least the soldiers I work with, aren’t two faced or opportunists. The men I know, know hardship. Honor, courage, commitment; those are qualities I respect.

Our government can always do better.