Exclusive: Barbara Simpson blasts politicians for 'politing' nation to death

Cutting U.S. down to size

Posted: July 24, 2011
9:00 pm Eastern
© 2011

We're going to "polite" ourselves to death.

In fact, we seem to be doing a pretty good job of it as we're engulfed in a war that's not acknowledged by the top politicians as a "war."

For a "war" that's not a "war," we seem to be enduring a growing casualty rate among our military and yet it's under orders to not do anything that might give offense to the locals.

We're in the midst of a fiscal crisis not ever seen before in the history of our country, one that most average people simply don't understand.

What they do understand are job losses, upside-down mortgages, rising unemployment, inflation and a lowered standard of living.

Politicians make ominous threats of the consequences in the battle among higher taxes, spending cuts and government growth.

It's a terrible mix of re-election campaigning, political philosophies, basic economics and just plain, down-and-dirty, street-level politics. And, of course, reality – which is, quite frankly, something politicians assiduously avoid. After all, it's hard to talk about reality when you're involved in a re-election campaign and they all face that.

As I said – reality.

Another reality is that while we face a fiscal and budgetary crisis that will, if not properly dealt with, push this country into a fiscal cesspool from which we might not emerge clean – if at all – we also face growing military obligations.

We have full-time, active-duty military in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. American citizens ask why. What are they doing and what is accomplished? We are told that our goal is to win the "hearts and minds" of the Afghans and to do that we have to not be seen as so "military."

The result is that we must honor and defer to Islamic traditions and customs. Our troops are not allowed to appear too militaristic and that includes orders not to wear self-protecting armor.

If, because of that, they wind up dead or maimed – and they do – well, so be it. It doesn't seem to bother the president or his administration or top military brass or the politicians.

Yet, these are the same people who have no compunction about sending our people into harm's way for pseudo-military but solidly geo-political goals.

We've lost nearly 4,500 troops in Iraq.

In Afghanistan, of the nearly 1,700 killed, more than 1,100 were from IEDs – improvised explosive devices. Our 21st century military seems not to be able to protect itself from these simple, booby-trap devices planted by an enemy that delights is blowing apart our people, one by one. Those who are not killed outright are left with severe body damage that lasts a lifetime.

How have we come to the point that our military seem more and more to be pawns in the real war that's going on – the war of politics?

The leaders of this country and of our military have so succumbed to the politically correct dogma of "let's not offend Islam" that we are routinely offering our young as sacrifices. And that is exactly what they have become in the eyes of the government.

When was the last time you heard any politician, from the president on down, talk about this? When have any of them talked about the supposed goal of the "wars" and what we are doing to win?

And that's the problem. We don't admit it's a war. Oh, it's kinetic military action. Right.

Since we don't admit it's a war, then we can't define what win means. In fact, we ignore that.

All the while, in Washington, there are constant cuts to the military budget, reductions in troop numbers proposed, cuts in new weapon development and technology and enormous reduction in planes and ships.

No one seems to look at what a smaller military means in the real world at a time when we are being spread thinner around the world in combat situations that apparently have no end.

If we don't know why we are there and what the ultimate goal is, then how do we know when it's "over"?

The truth is, there is no "over" and there is no "end." We are in the midst of and expanding (think Libya) on what appears to be a constant state of low-level war – troops are there, there is limited combat, there are weasely attacks on our troops by a primitive, barbarian enemy and it appears our greatest concern is not being too hard on the other guys – you know, the ones traditionally called "enemies."

But we can't use that word today. It might make them feel bad while they plot more insidious ways to kill our troops.

Are we crazy? In a way, yes.

But it is a political "crazy," and it will continue as long as Americans continue to elect on every level of government individuals who buy into the progressive agenda, which ultimately will destroy the U.S. as we know it.

We have an administration that proposes to cut the military budget to $400 billion from $800 billion to $900 billion, and that's before Congress gets in on the slashing.

Eliminate weapons systems, planes and ships and troops and what we're left with is – nothing.

Ultimately, that means no country.

That may be Obama's plan. It isn't mine.

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