disturbing thoughts

today has been a rough day... so i know i'll have to split this up into two parts. let me first speak on the fact that president obama is sending 30,000 more troops into afghanistan.

a friend of mine sent me a link to a blog where a slain soldier's brother is sharing his story about his brother and his feelings about the decision that president obama has made. in reading the story, i could feel his emotion, and was touched and emotionally affected by his loss. with that, though, i also felt that his opinion about president obama's decision was emotionally biased.

now, i can completely understand how it could be, and in no way am i being judgmental in how he feels. but, the realist in me feels as though obama's decision is based on the saying, 'sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better'. i never agreed with sending troops to iraq OR to afghanistan in the first place...but i know that these events occurred under the leadership of george w, NOT under obama. AND, unlike many folks, i believe that the president that i voted for, is true to his word about his feelings about the troops being over there and that his ultimate goal is to bring them all home.

i thought it only fair to take an assessment of the situation, and recognize that if president obama was to bring all our troops home, would anything be accomplished? have the afghani people learned how to protect themselves and their land? and what about all those troops that we have already lost for this purpose? it seems that an instant withdrawal with no resolution would result in these soldiers dying in vain...and to me, that would be more of a travesty then sending more troops in to get the job done thoroughly and completely and then bringing them home knowing that the task has been accomplished.

i heard analysts speaking of obama's plan to withdraw the troops in 18 months...and it astonishes me that with as many broken promises that our last president has made, there is so much focus on a timeline vs. the actual plan itself. my immediate concern is that things are rectified and our troops are brought home, moreso then how long or how many it takes.

at the risk of sounding insensitive (which i'm not)... i cannot profess to understand how those families of the fallen feel. i cannot and will not ever understand the terrifying feeling of getting that phone call or having those soldiers show up to your door. BUT, i have gotten a phone call letting me know that my father had passed away. so i DO know the pain of losing a loved one. the difference, in my opinion, is that these soldiers made a informed choice to enter the military. one of the occupational hazards to military service is the possibility of going to war, and moreso, losing your life while serving your country. my father did not choose to get cancer. so, while i understand, i also feel it to be unfair that blame obama for not doing what you feel is best, but what HE feels is best as the leader of this country.

while i can understand that it seems as though i'm defending obama, i don't think that i am. i don't know what his ultimate plan is, i can only assume...but i know that i voted for this man to lead this country. i know that with his passion, he has united (in many ways) this country so that each individual understands their own importance in how their life ends up. i have seen him handle criticism and his criticizers with grace and integrity. i have seen him do more for this country's people (pushing a healthcare plan for more than 90% of it's citizens) in his short time in office then i can say about our last president of 8 years. does this mean that i support every decision he makes? of course not...but i support him as the leader of this country. he was put in office to do what's best for the people of this country, and i completely believe that he is dedicated to doing just that.

and to those who insist on critizing every move he makes and choose to dwell on what they consider broken promises, i challenge you to look past your own emotions, and present a solution that will benefit the country as a whole, not just your personal interests. even further, i challenge you to enter the political realm... if you want change, you have to be the catalyst for change...so since you feel you can make better decisions, get out there and prove it. and hopefully, you will not have the misfortune of having people out there that will make it their mission to prove that you are perfectly imperfect...