Hope And A New Beginning

President Obama has named former Senator George Mitchell and former U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as special envoys to the middle east and Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Both men are serious at that level and have vast experience and knowledge to implement the Presidents foreign policy toward those area's. 

 

The middle east and especially the Israeli and Palestine problem will be Mr. Mitchell's responsibility after 8 years of neglect.  Mr. Mitchell will engage the area and will be a priority for the Obama administration.  I will be surprised if Mr. Mitchell does not bring any thing new to move the peace process along.  His past record of success tells me a few surprises may be in store for both Israel and Palestine and that is a good thing.

 

Mr. Holbrooke's responsibility will be Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Theses two countries are now a serious problem and the status quo policy has to change.  Mr. Holbrook knows the area well and also its leaders.  He is a proven leader in bringing people together and finding common ground.

 

The appointment of Mr. Mitchell and Holbrooke is the first step in addressing a situation that has become worse and has gone on too many years.  The problems could blow up at any time and drag the U.S. into a situation that would not be in Americas best interest.

 

Hope is finally in the air in U.S. diplomacy. 

Wisdom, Courage, Character and Direction

Those are the qualities President Obama needs to display as our nations leader for the next four years.  The President's team, especially National Security, Economics, Defense, State, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Budget needs to follow his lead.

 

Our military role in Iraq and the enormous cost to America has to come to an end.  New Plans for the war in Afghanistan have to be faced with wisdom and courage.  We can not and should not start a large military build up in that country with U.S. troops.  We already invaded that country 7 years ago to find Bin Laden and destroy the Taliban and accomplished neither.  There is no question that we did not have enough troops but is that the answer 7 years later?  A new strategy has to be adopted and implemented that deals with reality.

 

Never in our history has a President committed so many American troops and money as Mr. Bush did to fight an enemy that has no government or country.  Republicans in congress and the neocon journalists are already attacking President Obama's order to shut down Guantanamo prison with their scare tactics. Wisdom, courage and character will be needed to move forward and change direction.

 

President Obama has to have the courage to stick to his concerns about balancing the federal budget with sound economic policies, creating jobs and a fiscal policy that is based on sound principals.  Never mind the double talk from the conservatives.  They have not balanced a federal budget in over 50 years, but the Democrats have and it was not only President Clinton.  I wonder if conservatives know who was the other democratic President to balance the federal budget?

 

Wisdom, courage, character and direction are the qualities that really will matter and make a difference for our country and its peoples future.