Rich On Money

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

We have not seen the end of war, and never will. It seems that war is an inevitable part of human nature. If this is true than Eisenhower was correct that what America requires is that we have as strong a defense as possible at the least possible cost to the taxpayers.

The Republicans tend to forget about costs while the Democrats tend to be less aggressive than the Republicans on the issue of military strength. It has been like that for at least a half century and probably longer. The Republicans portray themselves as hawks, and the Democrats allow themselves to be portrayed as doves. Of course, if you are a Congressman and happen to have a large defense contractor in your district, it changes everything, because you must vote your district.

Where Bush was strong was his openness to the possibility of using America’s military might against our enemies.  It is the mere threat of the use of force that gave him tremendous power. This is sufficient in most instances to exact favorable terms in any kind of negotiation.  Having said this, I ask a question? Does anyone believe that President Obama is willing to even threaten the use of America’s military might to convey to our enemies that we are serious? The answer seems to be that this President is far more passive than his predecessor.

Here’s an example. We have just witnessed an agreement between Turkey and Iran in which Turkey will trade nuclear fuel rods in exchange for a much simpler nuclear fuel produced by Iran. Brazil is fostering the agreement and actively participated in its creation. It seems to me that Hillary Clinton is demonstrating her lack of strength also. For 18 months, she has been talking about sanctions on Iran. Just when she thought she had the support needed to get it done, this agreement which the State Department probably thought was withdrawn months ago, slips through our fingers, and we look like amateurs. The State Department has to be deeply embarrassed. These are career professionals, and this was not supposed to happen, at least not this way.

RichOnMoney