When should America go to war? Interesting question and poignant considering that our nation is engaged in two at this time. I was born during WWII, attended grade school during the Korean War, and went to college during the Vietnam War. War seems to have been one of those growing-up things that kids deal with.
Maybe that's why I'm extremely cautious when presidents start to play war games. Like my friend UptheFlag, I've studied history and understand the folly of most wars as well as the effect they have on the ordinary man, the commoner. War ought not be a game, nor a toy in the hands of some power-hungry ruler or madman. The blood on too many battlefields in too many places attest to that fact.
Richard Haass has published a new book titled, War of Necessity, War of Choice which asks the question- a question only asked of a democratic nation- when should we go to war? For those of us who have been paying attention, it is obvious to us which presidential family litters the pages of the book.
Most of us need not open the book as we lived through both Iraq wars and understand the difference between the wisdom of the father and the stupidity of the son. Been there, watched that.
Yet, more importantly, we might consider that Mr. Haass is skeptical about President Obama's plans for the region, warning that Afghanistan could become the president's war of choice. Most of the people who come to this blog have similar thoughts and I fear that Obama's wisdom may not be deep enough to make clear choices about continuing this war. Additionally, i fear that the sheer power of the presidency may contribute to a numbing effect when war and war games are being discussed in the Oval Office.
