The Middle East version of left holding the baby

The time seems to have come, more suddenly than we thought, where we now have to deal with a difficult problem or responsibility, because someone else had decided they did not want to deal with it. We now have overt, and continuing covert, acts of war being done against us. Americans are dying, and our Country is being drawn down mentally, militarily, and financially. The Executive is debating what to do, but the Congress has not even scheduled a hearing on any of this! Many Americans can’t recognize we’re being attacked to our detriment, many Americans don’t care, and many Americans want some future group of Americans to be left holding the baby. Some Americans judge that postponing, pretending, delaying, and hoping are better policies than a defensive type of war. They either don’t believe delay will make the blood payoff worse in the future, or that there will not be any consequences at all. Many see the case and reason for a defensive war in the Middle East, but worry we don’t have a competent enough group to wage such a war. To them I say, while the fear is always there, there have never been schools for Presidents and Secretaries and senior Congressman on how to wage war. So, it is a gamble in the end. The real question should be the case for war vice some lesser course of action. To this author it is whether or not we will deal with it, or leave some future group holding the baby.

Most disconcerting is the inaction in our Congress. Wars must be declared by Congress. The effect of a Congressional Declaration is awesome. And who else but Congress can sort out the media reports and public intelligence leaks as to accuracy and reliability. If we go to war, it should not be based on media reports. Cold hard facts will do, and they seem bleak right now. By bleak I mean consequences for inaction, as our descendents will bleed in barrels when we could fight a war and bleed in buckets in the near future. But thanks to those who have postponed things to where we today are left holding the baby, blood must now be shed in our National Defense if we are to survive as a Nation. And it is being shed today.

Inaction by Congress as a political scheme is possible. In this case, the effect of the voters on Congressional elections is also awesome.

And never forget we do have allies who also have nations to defend. If we postpone, again, they may not. This case alone may get us dragged in. In the late 1930’s the Congress and President passed three Neutrality Acts, and yet we ended up at war. Sometimes we can’t legislate our way out of foreign threats.

Bottom line, the Iranian dictators are now emboldened enough to overtly attack us. And the Chinese are doing direct military arms flights into Afghanistan. Lesser enemies are picking up the signals. And Americans and its allies are dying. And we did not start this. It began decades ago, and our political forbearers have left us holding the baby. Will our Executive and Congress even consider acting? What will our generation do?