Sunday, January 07, 2007
Let's Beat the Pots and Pans
In some South American countries it is the custom, when people are fed up with the President and his failed policies, to take out cooking pots and pans and beat them with wooden spoons and other suitable objects. The result is a din heard all over the nation. There follow demonstrations of disapproval of the President and all his works. Eventually the hapless fellow is obliged to leave office. The office may be taken over by a military junta, or it may be filled by a special election. In any case, the custom of the nation allows for removing an unpopular and incompetent President, even if the Constitution doesn't.
We need such a device in our country. Our President is about to embark, in our name, on an escalation of a failed policy in Iraq. Rather than cut our losses and withdraw, we are to send additional troops in the fond hope that just a little bit more effort and we can "win." It is clear that in the recent Congressional election, the public voted to end our military involvement in Iraq. If our government operated on democratic principles, the Administration would be planning a strategic withdrawal and using the advice of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group as cover. Instead, the Administration seems to be planning an escalation - a "surge" in our troop strength to accomplish - what?
Ladies, get out the cooking pots and pans and start beating them. Men, plan demonstrations of our disapproval of our President's plans to send still more troops to Iraq. The Congress we elected doesn't have the power or the stomach to oppose the Commander in Chief. Our work is cut out for us. Let us begin.
We need such a device in our country. Our President is about to embark, in our name, on an escalation of a failed policy in Iraq. Rather than cut our losses and withdraw, we are to send additional troops in the fond hope that just a little bit more effort and we can "win." It is clear that in the recent Congressional election, the public voted to end our military involvement in Iraq. If our government operated on democratic principles, the Administration would be planning a strategic withdrawal and using the advice of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group as cover. Instead, the Administration seems to be planning an escalation - a "surge" in our troop strength to accomplish - what?
Ladies, get out the cooking pots and pans and start beating them. Men, plan demonstrations of our disapproval of our President's plans to send still more troops to Iraq. The Congress we elected doesn't have the power or the stomach to oppose the Commander in Chief. Our work is cut out for us. Let us begin.
Labels: " Baker-Hamilton group, beating pots, expressing disapproval of "surge
