Anyone with a morality that placed peace above unconscionable slaughter, and who possessed a brain capable of assessing the Support-Our-Troops sloganeering for the vicious self-serving propaganda of the warlords that it was, had to be attracted to the Messiah Obama's mantra of CHANGE.
And so we waited, eager for the specifics. What Kind of CHANGE? Where? How? How Much? By Whom? When?
We had had it with the six- year War of Lies, the 4000-plus American soldiers killed, the million-plus Iraqis killed, the exodus of two million more from their homeland, the trashing of our Bill of Rights, the distain of decent governments, the disgrace to our history, and – my God! – torture! So, yes! CHANGE! Sock it to us!
Anticipating bold sea change, we abided antsily but with relish, anticipating the cascade that would flush away rotten governance, restore our Constitution, and allow us to lift our heads once more among the decent peoples of the world.
Then we waited some more, then more. What we started finally then to get, it appears, was tested. The CHANGE was not to be "rushed into heedlessly," could not be "imprudent," it would take "some time," and needed to be "responsible." Dayem! we surmised, was there a more urgent priority than to immediately stop death and desecration and the postures that promoted them? Was the glow to fade from our new Messiah's halo even before his elevation became official?
If all this was an endeavor to test the waters of change, then the pretenders of same would be well advised to learn that it has failed. This lousy war in Iraq – yes, that IS what it is – must end immediately the criminals are evicted from the people's house. i. e. January, 2009, consistent with the motivation of voters for the new leadership. We lack both the patience and the tolerance of the sixteen or eighteen month withdrawal now being tried upon us, or – worse yet – the three-year Status of Forces Agreement. And we are highly displeased and will tolerate none of the weasel words re "combat" and "non-combat troops," the former to leave and latter to remain in Iraq – at a force level of 30 to 50 thousand – for what purpose? What the Hell are non-combat soldiers anyway? We're certain this will not be a 50 thousand nurse corps garrisoned in a desert six thousand miles from our shores. Soldiers are soldiers, dammit: they either make war or they invite it.
As to the "vulnerability" of our troops resulting from "too hasty" a withdrawal, I submit this: I am an experienced logistician, having conceived, implemented and managed large and ongoing truck, rail, ship and air systems across the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and the Far East. Effective January 21, 2009, I will volunteer my services pro bono, to extricate all U.S Forces, both combat and "non-combat" out of Iraq with less vulnerability than they would otherwise suffer in their "continuing mission" across the same time. The new (?) administration would do themselves well to comprehend that this is the sort of program we voted for, and to spare us further weasel words of "prudence", "responsible," "continuing mission," ad nauseam.
Adding injury to insult, today (December 1, 2008) the Messiah of CHANGE advises that his Secretary of State will be one of those majority-Democrat senators who – out of either political cowardice or chicanery – voted to give Bush his historically unprecedented war powers in October, 2002, and who has not since even apologized for her moral lapse, assuming that a merely transient "lapse" it was. Further, Mr. Obama advises, that the current Secretary of Defense (read Chief Engineer of Offense) will be retained to continue – one can only suppose – the Evil Empire's current persuasion in the foreign deserts.
These appointments fly in the face of the voters who responded to the CHANGE mantra. We expected something much different – that's the key word: DIFFERENT. That's what CHANGE has always meant.
We reject Bushco Light. We had our fill of weasel words from your predecessor, Mr. President Elect. Spare us further disappointment. And talk straight. We will be listening and we will be watching, having honed these faculties by necessity in the face of eight years of treacherous governance.
Mr. President Elect, we the people will recover our Constitution and our national honor, with you or, if need be, without you. Of all things, trust us in this.
