Michael A. Clarke: Why does GOP appear to prefer war over negotiations?
The Republican Party’s policy for governing is, “If Obama’s for it, we’re against it!” This philosophy has now spread to international relations. The GOP’s stand seems to be “diplomacy doesn’t solve problems, only our military forces can do that.”
House Speaker John Boehner has complained that “Obama is an anti-war President!” I guess the Speaker would prefer a sabre-rattling leader who wouldn’t hesitate to send troops into conflict. His bellicose view is evidently shared by a number of Republican leaders, many of whom used a variety of means to avoid military service and the real possibility of being shot at.
These folks seem to have forgotten that the United States hasn’t won a war since 1945. Since then we’ve sent our “problem-solving” combat forces into many conflicts. Korea ended in a stalemate. We lost in Vietnam. Our invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan worsened the situation in the Middle East, when thousands of innocent civilians were killed, many of our people in the military were lost, and the region was left in shambles.
Has the use of our military force made the world a safer place? Not really. When we feel threatened, let’s follow our President’s successful lead and give diplomacy, and peace, a chance.
Michael A. Clarke, Salida
This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Michael A. Clarke: Why does GOP appear to prefer war over negotiations?."