We have heard it said time and again, “elections have consequences”. Admittedly, I’ve written many pages on that topic since Barack Obama announced his candidacy. All argument aside however, there comes a moment when reality hits you right between the eyes.
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is without question a man of character. His experience and service to his country have been revered by his colleagues as well as many in the media. So why then, was he compelled to break the unwritten rule which says, a former cabinet member shall not write a (tell-all) book about his president boss until after that president leaves office? Simply put, Gates knows damn well that we are swimming in unchartered and dangerous waters. For all intents and purposes, his book “Duty” tells us what we already knew. The President of the United States is an ideological warrior, who loathes the U.S. military application as a necessary evil. Moreover, Gates willingness to put that fact out there, speaks to his recognition of the consequences of substituting style and demagoguery for experience and ability in such a high office.
Say what you will about Gates and his motives, but I think it’s safe to say he’s written what many have been afraid to acknowledge for five years now. When viewed through the prism of so many lies and broken promises, Barack Obama’s Presidency appears to be an ideological/academic exercise, applied to real world events, with far reaching and even generational consequences.
On a personal note, my connection to the wars in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan is cemented in the memories of family and friends who fought, and in the legacy of some who returned in flag draped metal boxes in the belly of a military transport. You see, being Commander in Chief is so much more than photo-ops and words read from a teleprompter in the security of a White House briefing room. It’s something we must consider carefully before placing that trust and confidence in just any community organizer. So as we look on Benghazi and now Fallujah, and we take stock of a “decimated and on-the-run” al-Qaeda, now expanding in rapid fashion across the Mideast and Africa, it’s painfully obvious. Elections most certainly do have consequences.
God please give peace of mind and comfort to the families of those killed and injured during the “Iraqi Freedom” and “Enduring Freedom” campaigns, so they may know and understand their loved ones sacrifice was not in vain. Remember all of the words, “and a grateful nation”,,,
