That's it, the Republicans are just a bunch of war mongers. I used to think that it was just an anomaly in the Republican party, shown by the George W. Bush administration. After all, what sane person would start a preemptive war and not plan or prepare for the effort it would take. Even more so, what sane adult would claim principals that would position themselves in a corner, and thus leave little choice but war.
After reading up on the Republican candidate debate last night. I realized that all of the Republican candidates have positioned themselves as having to do something to protect America from Iran. While I agree that Iran is a problem, I think it is problematic that all the Republican candidates have already started painting themselves in a corner in regard to the problems in Iran. If the American people elect one of them to the President will he consider that a mandate to start a preemptive war with Iran. In the past American's would note that a candidate's style in debate would leave them little choice of action in the end. It's not a good trait. We want our leaders to have a lot of choices when it comes to America and conflict, and we want them to make the best choice.
When did pandering to American's fears become the way to get a vote. Do American's really believe that they now have something to fear from the rest of the world. Better yet, do American's believe that the government can save them. If so, America has fallen a long way from 1776 and the government seems to be leading the way.
America has never backed away from a fight, but until recently our leaders were smart enough to find the most effective way to win before engaging. Not so today. Our leaders today use the fear of our loss and our fear of loss in vain, in an attempt to spin and justify our nation's actions. Where are the statesman of America today? The leaders who have the humility to understand the lessons of Viet Nam and Iraq, and act based on that knowledge. Where are our leaders who know that America's greatness is not in our military and weapons, but the in minds of its people. What are we doing as Americans to keep our real greatness intact?
