Friday, July 30, 2010

 

More Soldiers Dying in Afghanistan

June, 2010 set a record for the most American soldiers being killed in Afghanistan. July surpassed that record.
In a summer of suffering, America's military death toll in Afghanistan is rising, with back-to-back record months for U.S. losses in the grinding conflict. All signs point to more bloodshed in the months ahead, straining the already shaky international support for the war.

Six more Americans were reported killed in fighting in the south — three Thursday and three Friday — pushing the U.S. death toll for July to a record 66 and surpassing June as the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the nearly nine-year war.
After a dip in American deaths last spring following the February capture of the southern town of Marjah, U.S. fatalities have been rising — from 19 in April to 34 in May to 60 in June. Last month's deaths for the entire NATO-led force reached a record 104, including the 60 Americans. This month's coalition death count stands at 89, including the 66 Americans.
In the mean time, Obama appears on The View to boost his ratings with women, played golf and went on vacation. Remember, George W. Bush gave up golf as a symbol of his respect for the families or the war dead. If you read the article, you'll find that he didn't make public his reasons for quitting golf until 5 years after he quit. It was not PR move, but an act of sincerity, something of which Obama appears entirely incapable.

Comments:
As a golf lover, I don't have any problem with the President hitting the links a few times a month. I don't recall ever yapping about Ol' Dubya doing it, and I won't yap about Obama doing it. Those folks have a kinda hectic job, and there are plenty of times where a day on the course helped me think much clearer the next day.

On the other hand, I do get the guilt trip motivation of "the troops are dying while most Americans continue their daily lives." One reason these wars have dragged on so long is that only our soldiers and their families have been asked to sacrifice for them.
 
I really don't have a problem with Obama, or Bush, playing golf either. I'm just playing a little "back at ya" with some of those who criticized Bush so unfairly and are not turning a blind eye to the same behavior in Obama.

The presidency has become an impossible job. We expect presidents to work endless hours that few of us would consider. The presidents themselves are partly to blame for this. They seek ever increasing power without considering the limits of what one person can do. Over the past 70-80 years, Congress has been quite willing to go along with increasing presidential power.
 
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