We Need Another Old Hickory

I served in the Army. I love my Country. I have opposed this war from the beginning. I knew that Saddam was contained and I knew that the case for war was trumped up by the Bush Administration. I knew that Democrats voted for the Resolution in 2002 purely based on popular opinion, politics, and job security. I despised them for it.

In 2004 I worked for General Clark but unfortunately, and incredibly, Iowa sealed his fate and John Kerry sprinted to the nomination. The remainder of the election cycle was a countdown to escalation in Iraq as we watched the candidates play bait and switch without ever really having a discussion about a resolution that would put an end to the war. John Kerry is a good man and may have been a great president but Bush was reelected because Kerry and the Democratic Party were not seen as trustworthy enough to lead our Country. Such a conflation is a tough pill to swallow.

In 2006, I started Band of Brothers and supported over 50 military veterans running for US Congress. I am proud to say that we helped frame the narrative for the midterm elections and ultimately had the privilege of seeing 5 of our candidates elected. I also had the pleasure of serving as Executive Director of the Patriot Project where we worked to expose and confront Right-wing front groups. 2006 was, indeed, a big win.

So, here we are almost 5 years since we invaded Iraq. Our presence has become decidedly unpopular with both the Iraqi people and with most of us here at home. There are no easy answers or quick fixes that will lead to a peaceful solution in Iraq. We must elect an experienced leader that has demonstrated the ability to shine in tough situations. We have control of the House and the Senate, popular opinion is on our side, but do we have anyone that is really capable of leading us out of this war and healing our wounds? Do we have anyone with the courage to lead us back to a real American Providence? Can we redefine a Manifest Destiny for the 21st Century that will correct the mistakes of the Bush Doctrine? Everything we do and say these days seem so nonbinding...

I watched the DNC Winter Meetings last week and came away with this impression. Most of our candidates' bloviate about grandiose plans that are short on strategy with unattainable goals, in fact, several speeches would have been better delivered by a high school delegate to a model UN; pie in the sky, apparently, still sells though and maybe success in 2006 clouds memories of the public perception that led to the defeat in 2004.

Let's look back at the election of 1828, "Old Hickory" Andrew Jackson lost on a populist platform, (our government was corrupt), in 1824 and the Country fell further into decline under John Quincy Adams. In 1828 General Jackson ran again and said "One man with courage makes a majority" Our Country responded to his populist message and he is, today, the Patriarch of our Party.

Today we find ourselves in another difficult position, specifically, in regards to how domestic politics gums up our foreign policy. We must have a President that understands that it is much more dangerous to avoid diplomacy and to ignore long term strategy than it is to fight what may seem like the right war at the right time or to retreat and leave the region in predicament much worse than how we found it. Wes Clark has spent his entire adult life serving our Country. He offers a very sober and professional prospective to a debate that, at times, seems sorely in need of adult supervision.

Like another General, a couple of centuries ago, I hope Wes will make the decision to give it another try; I believe that Americans will find that Wes Clark is worth another look.