Moving On

Forget my position on Iraq or the Presidency of George Bush. America is too important for partisan politics or to get swallowed up by past mistakes, whether they are acknowledged or not. Its time for this nation to move on, heal itself, and prepare for new challenges ahead.

I thought I'd discuss my thoughts on where we go from here. In thinking these things, I am distancing myself from the Democratic party that wants to spend all of its time looking into the past. Bush screwed up. Get over it. Move on. Let's start figuring out how America can regain its place in the world again.

Internationally, we need to bridge the gaps that have been created with our allies and with the rest of the world's governments. We need to not only support the UN's mission, but we need to start playing its game of peace and diplomacy. I see shreds of hope coming out of the Bush administration with regards to Iran - but then Iran is a much scarier foe than Iraq ever was and we need to be cautious here. Let's see what we can accomplish with diplomacy instead of rhetoric. I'm not saying that the UN is perfect, but its the only thing we've got right now to deal with international crisis. Beyond that, we need to strengthen the role of NATO in the world's hot spots. America has got to end its isolationist military policy of the last 6 years. We have allies for a reason. Occassionally, it might be a good idea to listen to them instead of always going it alone. Are we going to end up bearing the weight of combat duties? Sure. But we could have at least convinced our allies to take over our roles in Kosovo or Afghanistan so that we could have freed our troops for action in other parts of the world.

The war on terror has not ended and it will never end until the terrorists give up. They will never give up so long as there is a reason to fight. This is why our war needs to be two part - it needs to be ruthless in its hunting down and exterminating terrorists wherever they hide, and it needs to be extremely compassionate in attacking the reasons terrorism exists in the first place. Extremism doesn't just rise up out of the blue. It is created by a series of tragic events that push a people to the breaking point. We need to intervene before that happens, not mop up after the fact. This, ironically, is where the United States could be great. Not in fighting the war, so much, as in preventing it from ever happening. We need to be the leaders of the world in more ways than just militarily.

I will not speak of particular domestic issues. While I don't agree with much of what the current regime espouses, I recognize their right to espouse those ideals and the laws that govern them. And I hope that they recognize my right to do the same. What I will speak of is the need to end the divisiveness in this nation. There is a serious communication gap between the right and the left. The moderates have all chosen at this moment in history to become self-conscious about speaking their minds and building bridges of understanding and compromise. Its become My Way or the Highway in Washington D.C. and both sides are playing the game. No matter how the election turns out, governing means governing for all the people, not just the ones that voted for you - and that goes for the right and left. We need to seek common ground as Americans and discover our path from that common ground.

To Bush, I would say this. Come clean. If your domestic spying program is really seeking to stop terrorism in the United States, and its working, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops by now. I know you don't comment on current intelligence operations or methods, but there's got to be a way to let people know that it isn't as bad as it sounds. Shrugging your shoulders and saying, "We did nothing wrong," is not encouraging. In fact, it has quite the opposite effect. Address the American people. Stand tall in your resolve. Give us a detailed explanation about what your administration is doing, is planning on doing, and has done in the past in regards to Iraq, the war on terror, and your energy policy. Show us that our misgivings are not accurate, and we'll leave you the heck alone. Its that simple. You are the President. You don't get the luxury of saying, "Its none of your damn business." You work for us, not the other way around.

These are the ways I see this country going forward from here. But I would like to hear your opinions, no matter how crazy you think I am. We can't move forward together if we don't start listening to each other.