Dithering

Former President Dick Cheney has recently accused President Obama of “Dithering”.


The self-absorbed Mr Cheney, believing he is always right, might stop to think about what he’s saying. If he had paused to think about committing troops to Iraq because it was in the best interests of Halliburton and his oil company CEO friends, we might not be in the mess we’re in now.

Had the Cheney administration not focused on Iraq, we would also have been able to commit many more troops to Afghanistan in the beginning and actually have a chance to wipe out, or at least disable al-Qaeda and their friends the Taliban.

It is also possible that we might not have the 5,000 or so American deaths and seemingly countless wounded (both physical and mental) resulting from his adventurism into the Middle East

The President is taking the decision on what to do next very seriously. We are not under immediate attack, or threat of attack, so thoughtful consideration and consultation should rightly be the order of the day. Throwing more troops and equipment at the problem without a plan is irresponsible. Cheney and his hand puppet W. (They would have been hit on the comedy club circuit if their actions weren’t so serious.) made immediate, off the cuff and ill thought out decisions which they thought made them look “decisive”

I would remind Mr Cheney that he had no exit strategy from Iraq and cut resources to troops in Afghanistan so severely that they had no chance of overall success. Some say that permanent occupation in Iraq was the goal anyway. Saddam was just an excuse to get back in and control Iraq’s huge oil reserves.

This brings up another point. Did we have the right to invade a sovereign nation that posed no threat to us? Especially after the conveniently manufactured WMD claims were completely discredited. Yes Saddam was a very bad guy. No one disputes this fact. However, I don’t think we have a Constitutional mandate to put leaders of foreign countries in place we like when we don’t like the current sitting leader. By Mr Cheney’s line of reasoning, we should invade Venezuela and oust President Chavez.

It is refreshing to have a President who actually considers the consequences of his actions. Endless delays in making a decision are not appropriate, but getting the facts and learning about the situation in detail are.

President Obama has said we can expect a decision in the next week or so. That seems reasonable. Considering the monetary costs, the potential cost in lives and the ramifications to U.S. policy and relations around the world, this is a 21st century approach. Mr Cheney is stuck in a time when America could dictate its will and other nations would fall in lockstep.

This is a new world Mr ex-(Vice) President. You have outworn your welcome and it is time for you to exit the stage gracefully before the big hook appears and drags you off.

President Obama knows that whatever decision he makes may not be the right one. However, at least he has a better chance of making a more correct decision than Mr Cheney would if he were still in office. Good luck Mr President.