In his Time column this week, Klein writes:
So what should Obama do about Afghanistan? His dilemma isn’t as stark as has been posed in recent press accounts, with screamers on the right demanding slavish devotion to the military’s wish list and screamers on the left demanding a withdrawal. The U.S. military has become far more … nuanced when it comes to making requests of presidents. The negotiations about what [Gen. Stanley] McChrystal can officially request will not take place anywhere near the public eye. It is very likely that more troops will be sent–to build and train the Afghan security forces, it will be said. Obama’s problems on the left will be mitigated by the fact that most Democrats have also supported this war–as opposed to Iraq’s–and have little desire to reverse themselves. They don’t want to hurt the President, and they don’t want to be perceived as weak on defense come election time.
OK, “screamers on the left” are demanding withdrawal. That would make “the left” the majority of the public, right? Klein counsels that left opposition will have little effect, since “most Democrats have also supported this war–as opposed to Iraq’s–and have little desire to reverse themselves.” It’s hardto figure out why this is true, or frankly why it would matter–the general public has reversed its opinion quite dramatically, hasn’t it?
Apparently that doesn’t much matter; the real issue here are theDemocratic politicians, who”don’t want to hurt the president, and they don’t want to be perceived as weak on defense come election time.” Funny, then, that the public doesn’t seem to mind being seen as “weak on defense,” if that’s really how one would describe opposition to escalating the war in Afghanistan.
Bravo, well said.
Klein always struck me as someone who’d be better suited to write fiction. I must thank you peter, for reminding me why I stopped reading his work.
I can’t suss why it’s hard to figure out why Demorats continue to support this war – if you understand why there’s this war in the first place.
Wasn’t 9/11 an excuse, and not a reason, for it? Aren’t pipelines and geostrategic considerations – which are bipartisan goals – the real reason for the blood and tears?
Fuck public opinion, they say. They’re the big boys, and they’ll play their Great Game until the world ends with either a bang or a whimper.
Unless we stop them. Y’know … save the world and all that jazz.
And the first step is to see clearly just what we’re trying to stop, isn’t it?