Last night’s Presidential debate was a rehash of the same old. Senators Obama and McCain pretty much just repeated the same things they said last time. Although I somehow understand that we all have to repeat ourselves, personally I get kind of tired of reruns.
Obama to his credit tried to add a few extra details on why it is imperative that the US start rethinking and changing its economic and international policies. Despite his efforts the nations people still seem to be hanging on to outdated plans.
Unfortunately, McCain, to his detriment, is hanging on dearly to a security blanket that should have been shed years ago. He says he doesn’t want a cold war, but his rhetoric truly proves otherwise. As a national security specialist, I can tell you that he may be saying what the people want to hear, but I’m sorry to say he is not being straight with them.
We are in a dangerous position as a nation. Yes, we have the strongest military in the world – as we should. However, that military has been pushed to its limits. Our soldiers have not only been doing double duty, they have been doing three to four tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. Thousands of soldiers have been killed and injured. The Army itself must replace hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment destroyed in these wars.
The abundance of information on this topic is not news to our allies or our enemies. Continually threatening people may get us in more trouble than it is worth.
Keeping this in mind and keeping in mind America’s economic woes, it is time for us to realize we need to change the way we do business at home and abroad.
Senator McCain seems to be stuck in some lost concept between global hegemony and a cold war super power. He believes that the US should continue to bully other nations into doing what he says. He thinks that somehow this blatantly combative oratory is going to make nations cower. I am sorry to tell him this just is not happening and it is not going to change anytime soon.
In today’s world when nations are threatening to produce nuclear weapons, the US must move beyond its own addiction to a weapons only strategy. After all they want them, because we have them and we are threatening to use them every day.
No expert will tell you that the US can maintain its current military dominance especially when our purse is now running low. We need new ideas, new innovations, and new thinking. And last night’s debate demonstrated that there is no way were are going to get them from John McCain.