HASTE MAKES WASTE AGAIN MR. PRESIDENT

Here we go again with President Barack Obama addressing the nation on the contentious issue of closing the Guantanamo detention center, and dispersing the prison population. This issue would not have half as much steam had the president not rushed to announce his intensions immediately following his inauguration.

As is so often the case it will be most interesting and far more accurate to evaluate matters of this nature twenty-five years from today. Since most of us will not be around at that time I feel it is necessary to voice my opinion now. Both sides of this debate are hard set in their opinion so it has become a delicate issue. It is your Commander’s opinion that the facility in Cuba continues to be both necessary and appropriate, because I believe the majority of American citizens, who are voters and taxpayer’s too, do not want these terrorists inside the United States. Our squeamish Congress and the President’s own Democratic Party finally heard the peoples’ concerns and that is why they voted against funding the prison closing.

President Obama’s point that the existence of Gitmo is the major selling point in the recruitment of terrorists is shallow at best, because if it was not this it would be some other political selling point from the fanatic’s position. Wouldn’t the new place we housed terrorists become the next symbol for Al Quaeda or other enemy entities to use as a rallying point? It is further my opinion that this excuse is a typical position coming from a liberal politician that is a further extension of “Hate George Bush” on every single possible matter. It is further a perfect example of the naive thinking of a politician who has never experienced combat or the fulfilling experience of serving our country in the military.

This entire debate could have been avoided had Obama not promised closing the facility before he knew all the facts during his run for the Presidency. Who in their right mind would propose closing a facility without a thorough and definitive plan to deal with its detainees? Apparently, our president still does not realize that our Muslim enemies still want to kill all Americans, not just Republicans.

As the elected President of the United States of America, President Obama has the legitimate right to close Gitmo if it his desire, but he should have first listened to the electorate, not his elite liberal followers and advisors. Paying off political obligations has a history of creating big problems and this is a perfect example. Without a plan in hand, the quick announcement to close Gitmo was totally premature, and has resulted in his backtracking in a typical lawyer type speech a few days ago at the National Archives. His address clearly shows that he is a trained lawyer, but obviously an inexperienced practitioner of his trade. When did he ever practice professionally as a lawyer, aside from a professorial position followed by political office climbing?

This misstep is identical to the rush to judgment in signing the Stimulus Bill before anyone could read its contents. To prove my point, do you know that over 10,000 dead individuals have received $250 stimulus checks? One recipient, who died more than 30 years ago, actually left the USA back in 1935 when he returned to his native Italy. While this represents over 2.5 million dollars, apparently that is chump change in Washington today. Now we are paying for the ill advised haste with the huge unaccounted spending of millions of our precious tax generated dollars.

If you heard the president’s speech as I did, you may agree that there was a definite arrogant tone that he knew better than we do. Our President does know more than we do when it comes to secret intelligence, but that does not justify his gloating that he knows better than his constituents. If my president was so smart, he would not have announced the closing of Gitmo without any plan for the closure’s execution. Any experienced lawyer would know that you cannot move several hundred detainees through our legal system within the next eight months. Neither lawyers nor the courts will move that fast, and to force action quicker will only lead to more massive wasteful expenditures.

I have been carefully listening to my presidents speak going back to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and I have never heard one of them until now continue to tell his audience how proud he is to be the Commander in Chief. I wonder why Obama must remind us of his lofty position in virtually every address he reads. Most of all the presidents I remember have not needed to bask in the glow of the office, however one might suspect Obama feels the need to remind us of his supremacy over us lesser soles.

I keep saying that I want my President to be successful, but he keeps putting his unseasoned foot into his teleprompter guided mouth, because his advisors are apparently afraid to give him solid, honest advice. The cult-like aura surrounding Obama could, and may, lead to his political downfall in the long run. God I hope I am wrong, because it is in our collective benefit that our president is successful in leading our great country to peace and prosperity.

COMMANDER GRANGER