Posted by
EARL THINKS... on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 9:34:00 AM
Perhaps this is a "too simple" analogy of foreign relations, but sometimes, NO, most of the time we need to K.I.S.S. My thoughts aren't usually as clear on foreign policies as they are to domestic, but once again, "To stay the course or leave" is going to clutter the dialog and further disrupt priorities the government should/could be addressing. Granted, this may be over simplified, but I can chew on this analogy in regards to the situation in the Middle East.
Let's take a Lounge/Club that one likes. They pour a good drink, have very friendly and competent servers and nice music both live and a DJ.
There is a small group of people that come in every week-end and all they seem to do is create havoc. They are loud and rude, hassle the servers, heckle the band and the DJ and demonstrate total disregard for the other patrons in the establishment. The owners are reluctant to reprimand them for their behavior because they are somewhat imposing and do spend a lot of money there on the week-end. You and your crew come to this establishment three or four times a month, for whatever reason and wonder why ownership endures these people regardless of how much money they put in the register. They don't tip particularly well and tend to drive people out after they have had a few.
You and your friends have had enough of these people and you get yourselves together, grab them one by one and throw them out. As they hit the pavement, you stand over them and say, "And don't ever come back"!! You return to your booth or stool in the lounge to the back slaps of the staff and other patrons, with all the, "At a boys!" and "Way to GO"! Except from the owner. He's worried that they will indeed return and with a vengeance. He can't afford to hire bouncers. How does this mandate that "you" and your crew asserted gets enforced? YOU and your crew must now be there EVERY WEEK-END to see that these people don't return, and if they do, be prepared to throw them out again.
Our history demonstrates that whether we are protecting or nation building, i.e. trying to secure a "democracy", the United States NEVER leaves ANYWHERE. We are still in Europe, the Far East as a result of WW II, South Korea and WILL be in Iraq and Afghanistan. Europe has been a relatively easy establishment. For the most part, we are allies and WW II was Europe against Europe that eventually spread. The Middle East is another proposition all together. There are economic imperatives tied to the resources there, as well as our allegiance to Israel that are in the mix in regards to Iraq and Afghanistan. Not necessarily "in" those countries, but in the region and we need to have some position of relativity, geographically, to protect those interests.
Hezbollah and the Taliban have these "lounges" under their thumbs, for whatever reason. They may be rude to the "customers" and the "wait staff" and even scoff at the "owners",but if "we" think that we can "throw them out onto the curb", and NOT be there "every week-end", it would be a height of arrogance that could result in a very painful fall. It's nice to build a castle in the sky, but a fool's mission to try to live in it. Whether our intents in entering the region were contrived or justified, we are there and we don't have a history of leaving ANYWHERE. So belly on up to the bar. This may take a while.
Just a thought.....