Sunday, November 08, 2009

11.8.09: You Hear Things...

A revisited guest list arrived yesterday via the Meet The Press newsletter and included General George Casey, Army Chief of Staff to discuss this week's tragic events at Fort Hood in Texas and some of his views on Afghanistan. With regard the to the shooting perpetrated by Major Nidal Hasan earlier this week, one can only dread the social repercussions of a soldier of Muslim faith committing mass murder at an Army, whether or not it is justified. But you hear things, such as that the other soldiers hazed him because of his faith. When you hear something like this, one can say, "but that doesn't justify his actions." Of course not, but it is most certainly one of many factors that lead to what he did. This ridicule can only serve as the impetus for Major Hasan to move closer to his faith, be more isolated, and hence more radicalized. You hear that he vocalized ideological conflicts with the wars - that should disqualify someone immediately from deployment, not from the army necessarily, but definitely from deployment because his hesitation in the field could cause the death of a fellow soldiers. It puts people's lives in danger.

The General did say some of the right things in today's interview, in which Mr. Gregory's questions and tone showed his potential as a moderator of trust - he just needs to be much more consistent. However, Gen. Casey lead off with the statement, "I don't want to say that we missed it," meaning the signs leading up to the shooting. Simply, you better believe they missed it. Nonetheless, we have arrived at this point and ultimately, the best thing to do is to extricate ourselves from these countries and wars as quickly as possible. The General did say some encouraging things in that he feels that the diversity of our country and our fighting force is a strength - we would totally agree.

But the most significant thing he said to Mr. Gregory came in two statements that seem to contradict themselves. First, he said that he has been concerned and has vocalized the fact that the Army is out of balance, meaning that if it were in balance then the deployment rates would be sustainable so that soldiers aren't required to do multiple back to back combat tours. Later, in the interview, in which Mr. Gregory declared news, General Casey said that he would like to see an increase in troops for Afghanistan. Well, where are they going to come from if our Army is 'out of balance?' It seems like the administration is the only ones considering this problem. Republicans want more troops - that's the 'right thing' as Governor Haley Barbour (R-MS) said later in today's program. But again, from where?

And speaking of Governor Barbour, in light of the House Healthcare bill passing last night, he said that Americans don't want it. However, his counterpart for the interview, Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) succinctly replied that we need it. He also said that the Democrats have to move beyond bi-partisanship because they simply will not get it. This column would agree with that line of action on the part of the Democrats. They have the majority and are in the right to set the agenda for the country. Republicans would do the same if they were in the majority - citing that this is what the majority of people want. And again, you hear things, such as earlier this week Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said that if it did, in fact, pass, it would be impossible to get rid of it because it would become another third rail of politics, people would love it.

Mr. Barbour also stated that government run healthcare would be bad for this country. However, that is not what the bill is. Let's be clear - it is healthcare industry reform that includes an option in the form of a government program. This column is amazed by the incredible number of people who do not know the definition of the word 'option.' Additionally, Lastly, this column is a strong supporter of, as Mr. Rendell put it today, healthcare security for this country. That means giving everyone access to affordable healthcare, which the Republicans' alternative bill doesn't provide in the slightest.

Mr. Barbour also in the interview said that Americans want jobs, not healthcare. With all due respect to the Governor, they want both. However, there is truth to his statement that there has never been a bigger disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street. The Administration needs to be very concerned about this because as Wall Street thrives, unemployment is at 10.2%, and it will climb. It is imperative that while the Congress is engaged in healthcare that the Administration focuses on bank lending and job creation. Yes, Mr. Rendell was correct that the stimulus retained jobs and we applaud that effort, but the tide needs to turn quickly for small businesses. Mr. Barbour again, said that the Democrats are focused on energy and healthcare and not jobs. This is a ridiculous statement because it implies that all of these things are not interconnected, which they are. In a multi-tasking world, the government must be able to do the same.

Lastly, some insights from today's panel, which consisted of David Brooks of New York Times, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post, and Republican Strategist Ed Gillespie.

First, Ms. Maddow was spot-on that the troop number decision will be a political issue - no matter how you slice it. How can everyone NOT weigh in? However, Mr. Dionne observation that we need a 'Karzai' strategy in Afghanistan. This is the biggest conundrum in the country. How do you have the citizenry go along with what you're trying to do when the central government does things that directly fly in the face of that agenda? If that continues, it will not matter what the U.S. does there, it won't hold. Focus on the Pakistan border and militant extremists - tell Pakistan that if they help us find the operational head of Al Qaeda then we can begin to fully pull back. In simpler terms, let's get the hell out of there.

With regard to the merits of the healthcare bill passing, Ms. Maddow pointed out that this bill has more restrictions on abortion than any other bill in a generation. One, this column finds that disturbing and two, this is essentially a case of religious belief as to when life begins, and you may readily agree. However, this column also strongly endorses a separation of church and state. With that said, abortion is a medical procedure and further restrictions on healthcare for women is unacceptable in the equal society that we idealize.

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Today's Meet The Press Minute (again, we're delighted its back) commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. A great look back.




and Mr. Brokaw's Report...

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