WHO TAKES US TO WAR?

Everywhere you turn today there is discussion across our country relative to the state of our economy, the staggering unemployment statistics, and our involvement in three Wars simultaneously.

While there are clear indications that the level of fighting in Iraq has subsided, disturbing reports continue to confirm death and injury to our brave fighting military.

The war in Afghanistan continues to drain our dollars, but more importantly death and injury continue without any end in sight despite the announcement that we will withdraw 10,000 troops shortly. This troop reduction comes more as a political consideration than the recommendations of our military leadership. As was the case in Iraq, severe restrictions have been placed upon the military making a winning battle plan in the Afghanistan war difficult at best. Now after nearly 10 long years and the longest war in our nation’s history, we still do not have a successful conclusion, but a compromised and gradual withdrawal.

Then there is the War on Terror. The death of Osama Bin Laden was a small victory…but that took nearly 10 years. There are many more Islamic extremists who would like to see the full and total demise of the U.S. and our way of life. Although more covert, this war will last a very, very long time.

Now we are deeply involved in an “unwar,” the NATO intervention in Libya where America is again carrying the overwhelming military and financial burden in a conflict that has little or no national security threat to our county. The discussion in coffee shops across the country is now focused on whether President Obama secured the proper authority to enter into this latest NATO caper.

Charles Krauthammer’s recent opinion piece is very enlightening concerning the War Powers Act and the situation with NATO in Libya:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/who-takes-us-to-war/2011/06/23/AGwFS4hH_print.html

Based upon my reading of the Krauthammer article our President has taken us into a military conflict that I call war without proper constitutional authority. It is clear also that Krauthammer provides us with an excellent suggestion of corrective action to prevent this from happening in the future.

When will politicians learn that little is frequently accomplished in wars except the death and destruction of our nations finest, and a massive economic obligation that politicians never have to pay. If we put political leaders and diplomats on the front-lines to fight the next war there would probably never be another conflict.

COMMANDER GRANGER