A rant by any other name would smell the same

Political strategists have apparently convinced politicians that carrying the tired American colors into every nation which shows a glimmer of rebellion against an autocratic government is what the American public wants. John McCain, who never met a war he didn't like, calls for more involvement in Libya. Tom Pawlenty, who would have trouble finding Syria on a map, cries out for support of the protesters in Syria.  John Boehner spends spring break getting a tan in Afghanistan while raising questions about the Obama war strategy. The drums of war are being beat fiercely! I just can't respond to their call. Yes, I have empathy for the Libyan rebels and the Syrian protesters but on the other hand I wonder why  ill conceived struggles should become my battles when there is a battle to be fought here on our shores. Too many Americans are hurting and too few politicians are fighting for them. I would like to see the Afghans enjoy a democratic government but that is next to mission impossible - it's past the time to get out! How in hell can we bear the cost of multiple wars when we don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out from? How can we act as a white knight while we drift off into a feudal society ruled over by greedy black knights. How can we play the role of a superpower when we are poised to abandon a space program which has given us so much to make life easier and healthier. We cannot be a superpower in the eyes of the world while we are a weakling at home. The budget battle taking place in Washington will show us if we have the leadership in place to ensure that our future will be that of a democratic society dedicated to the needs of its masses. The " Yes we can!" of 2008 must become a reality and not merely a dusty campaign slogan.   As I have done before , I must invoke the words of John Quincy Adams, “Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy ... she is the champion and vindicator only of her own.” The sooner Washington realizes that its job is to give us what we need and not what it thinks we want, the sooner we will be a respected superpower.