My Response to Mr. Davis

Here's a comment I got from Mr. Davis over at WVConfidential.com regarding whether we are any safer this week after electing Democrats...and my response follows:

Well, of course we aren't any safer this week. The Democrats aren't even technically in power yet.

Look, Ahmadinejad and Chavez are nuts. Bush is just the visual aid they enjoy using when they spout off lame rhetoric about how they hate America. It's not like they started hating America when Bush was elected, and will stop when he leaves.

The only victory in this election as that we are finally going to stop denying that everything is fine in Iraq and try to change course. We've spent all this time and loss of life in Iraq and there hasn't been any real progress. Yes, we got rid of Saddam. But the country has devolved into Civil War now and what should we do? That isn't a question for me to answer, because obviously I have no clue. But I never once saw the Bush Administration pass out handouts explaining what "Stay the Course" meant. Stay the Course, until..? Until what?

Switching to the Middle East as a whole, yes, these people want to kill us. But I'm not sure I can get behind your theory of no negotiation. American foreign policy in the Middle East is not for the slight of heart. I have no idea what the best solution is. But we can't just start knocking off every batshit crazy dictator and hope the country settles into a tidy little democracy. Obviously, that doesn't work, and now the Bush Administration is having to come to terms with that. I hope the Democrats and/or this study group (calling Mr. Baker please, anyone?) have an idea.

My Response:

I know the Dems aren’t in power yet…but it seems the rhetoric of our enemies got stronger on the assumption that America is unable to stomach handling world affairs…that is what they gathered from us (the American people) electing Democrats. I don’t know that they drew the correct assumptions…but that seems to me to be the conclusion they have drawn.

As for Iraq, I’m looking forward to a change in policy but I am not in favor of completely cutting off funding (as proposed by Dennis Kucinich - Democrat, Ohio) or withdrawing, leaving Iraq in complete ruin (as proposed by many Democrats, including John Murtha). Hey, I want out of Iraq too but there has to be a plan. Yes, I want a speedy exit but you can’t leave a complete vacuum in that country because Iran will fill that void.

As for the rest of the Middle East…I agree that you can’t just go around killing everyone but I don’t think you can negotiate with someone like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When he hears that we are willing to negotiate, he sees weakness. This man is devoted to destroying Israel and, if need be, the world. I can’t confirm but many have written of his belief that the 12th Imam will reveal himself only after the world has been thrown into chaos and war and, after the 12th Imam comes out of hiding, Islam will rule the world. And this man has others who support him and believe this too. I don’t think we can negotiate with him. As for other Middle Eastern countries, I hold out hope.

I’m not anti-Democrat simply because they are Democrats…but I haven’t heard any ideas from Dems on what to really do in Iraq other than leave. That’s not a solution. I haven’t heard any ideas on Iran. I haven’t heard any ideas on North Korea. We tried to negotiate with NK during Clinton’s years and they developed a nuclear bomb. Are we waiting for the same from Iran? If the Democrats have ideas, great. If James Baker and a panel can get together and come up with solutions, awesome. But we can no longer coddle and enbolden Americans enemies by showing a lack of will.