Obama got elected to office by convincing everyone that he would change the tone and the way business is done in Washington. Thus far his strategy to accomplish this has been to let congress try to solve things. Please, please, please... grab the wheel, grab the reigns, grab something and articulate some renewed sense of direction. Do it Wednesday. Good, bad or indifferent - left, right and/or center, make your case. The recess has been a mess, perhaps just democracy in action with all its flaws, warts and smells, but these congress people have been out defending or attacking undefined goals and legislation. I would have preferred an Hillarian (Clintonian is taken already) listening tour to the town halls... it may have been more productive and less destructive. Pulling the plug and death panels have defined the debate... how could such a well-oiled message machine that put Barack in office be so absent and impotent now? "We've got to fix health care" is a little too broad, really. Policy! Define and enact. Simple, but not easy.
Why Afghanistan and foreign policy in general is hard for us: Ideologues on both sides can't accept that democracy shouldn't be on the fast track everywhere, whether accomplished by force or reasonable discourse. Americans don't understand it. I don't understand it, and I don't like it, but I'm pretty sure it's the case. I think this goes back to our youth and naivety (or naivete, si vous preferez) as a nation. It's a noble perspective to have but doesn't make for easy, clear cut decision-making (do you think China grapples with foreign policy issues like we do... I don't think so). Still, decisions are required. We've lost the definition of our goals in Afghanistan, much like the ever-shifting mission in Iraq. I wouldn't want to make these choices, but some tough ones need be made. Policy! Define and enact. Not so simple, not so easy.
Whew, I think I'm all over the place. I'm not arguing for Obama to take any certain position here, just to take a position. Then, and only then, we can argue about the merits. Debate about floating generalities is a waste of energy and inevitably leads to partisan rancor and town hall madness. Though, without the town hall meetings, we all would have missed out on Barney Frank saying, "Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table... I have no interest in doing it."
Some good did come of the recess after all.
If I was to have a conversation with a dining room table it would be with one made by George Nakashima. Always cool stuff, butterfly dovetail keys, big freeform shape made of walnut and a variation on the Conoid Chair with solid back to sit in while talking to the table. Yeah, that would be all right.
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