Monday, August 22, 2011

Who Are the Two Most Petty, Sore Losers in US Politics?

These guys!!
Can we all just agree that three years is far too long to remain a sore loser? Yes? Okay, then someone needs to tell Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that the 2008 election is over, and they need to get over it.

Today, the world is celebrating the downfall of the Kadafi regime in Libya. It was a long time coming. The man has been a dictator there since the 1960s. Reagan tried twice to take him out in the 80s and failed. Now he is gone. The approach that Pres. Obama took of engaging NATO in the fight (without using a single US ground troop and not having a single US casualty) turned out to be the right approach. 

How many times have you heard conservatives bitch about NATO nations not pulling their weight in the alliance, and never committing enough troops and equipment to handle what is required? I know I have heard it for decades. In this instance, Pres. Obama engaged the NATO nations and got them to commit troops, planes, etc, and allow the US to remain in control of the mission without having to do all of the heavy lifting. Exactly what conservatives have said they wanted, right? Well, that was before Barack Obama was the one who achieved it. Now, it is the wrong approach.

Never mind the fact that the US military is stretched beyond capacity and the Republican Congress was openly hostile to the idea of using US troops. Having the US lead the effort without having to provide all or most of the troops would seem to be the ultimate option. And it was. It took a while, but the outcome is a success. And we didn't have to invade and occupy anything! This, I think, is part of what pisses off neo-cons like McCain and Graham.

Because their strategy was not employed, McCain and Graham made sure to put their childish behavior on full display and thank the other countries involved and singling out the US for inaction. “We…commend our British, French, and other allies, as well as our Arab partners, especially Qatar and the UAE, for their leadership in this conflict,” they write, “but we regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower.”

Could you even imagine the firestorm of controversy and the 24 hour a day coverage that would have ensued if, say, Sens. Durbin (D-IL) and Boxer (D-CA) had used the opportunity of a US military success to attack the US and commend foreign militaries? The outcry from the conservative media would have been enormous and it would not have stopped until both Democrats apologized. This will never happen to a Republican, no matter what they utter. Never.

Even in success, the Republicans still attack this president. How about celebrating a US victory, guys? Is that so hard? What a bunch of petty, sore losers. The election is over. You lost. Please get over it! Obama has taken down Kadafi and taken out Bin Laden. What did your guy do? Well, not that, that's for sure!
Hmmm...the Libyans, at least, appreciate the effort of the Obama Administration

No comments: