Thank you for taking a minute from watching the omnipresent anti-war protests to read this column.
Thousands of people from San Francisco to Long Island joined arm in arm, singing “Give Peace a Chance.”
Passionate stirring of the masses with outrage that our President would go to war in the Middle East with no declaration or vote to authorize military action, violating the U.S. Constitution.
Round-the-Clock coverage and treating radical interview guests wearing Guy Fawkes masks with reverence by MSNBC and ABC, NBC.
Excuse me? Did you just ask, “What protests?”
It isn’t hypocritical to choose to protest only when a Republican is president. It’s hypocritical to pretend your partisanship plays no role in your displays of policy approval.
Americans know Obama is putting boots on the ground. From The Hill:
“President Obama authorized the deployment of 475 additional U.S. troops to Iraq on Wednesday, bringing the total of U.S. troops in the country to about 1,600. The new troops will advise and assist the Iraqi Security Forces in order to help them go on offense against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL); conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights; and coordinate U.S. military activities across Iraq, according to the Pentagon.”
Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and NSA, has publicly reported that 5,000 U.S. troops will be on the ground in the ISIS theater by the end of the year. They will work covertly providing “intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, logistics, advice, command and control assistance and tactical air control parties.” He said that even if America is successful, we can expect a three- to five-year battle.Perhaps leftwing activists don’t believe we’re at war. Unlikely. They’re more likely disappointed that their political messiah has failed in multitudinous ways, still fearing scary Republicans like John McCain. And what of Hillary the Screeching Hawk?
In 2002, President Bush sought and received Democrat and Republican support for “military action” in Iraq and he got it. Constitutionally, that’s as good as any declaration of war by Congress. Why? Because the U.S. Constitution does not articulate specific language, only that Congress has the authority to make such a declaration.
President Obama has not sought Congressional approval because Democrats in tight re-election districts would be compelled to vote against such a declaration to appease their anti-war base. This statement is based on the fact that President Obama makes no policy decision until he his tea has calculated its potential impact on election outcomes. My loyal readers are keenly aware of the investigative journalist reports quoting inside sources directly involved with his decision-making process.
So, where are the protesters?
Some are gearing up on college campuses. A few small groups are touching up their Peace Now signs.
The big machine is idling because “peace” is not their mission. Rallying thousands of Americans to vote for a left wing candidate is their mission, transforming America into a socialist or communist state. Unless International Answer, MoveOn.Org, ISO, Think Progress and dozens more can find a more “progressive” or liberal candidate, any protests that occur will be mild at best, not nearly as fervent as they would be against a president who supports free markets, free thinking and individual opportunity versus equal outcomes decided by bureaucrats.
The leaders of these well-funded organizations will feel compelled to organize protests soon enough as the liberal base, already disappointed in Obama’s failure to magically transform the U.S. into a socialist or communist paradise demands expressions of solidarity. When they do, don’t expect the same fervor as the protests during the Bush years, recruiting thousands of students and union workers, trashing the National Mall.
They will do so reluctantly; casting furtive, adoring glances at fellow traveler Bernie Sanders whom they know has no chance to win the White House.
Rick Jensen is Delaware’s award-winning conservative talk show host on 1150AM WDEL and 93.7FM HD3, Streaming live on WDEL.com from 1pm - 4pm EST. Contact Rick at rick@wdel.com, or follow him on Twitter @Jensen1150WDEL.