US: the state we're in.............

The political scene in the USA is glum at best.

 

O is seldom home, cannot tolerate Congress and is desperately searching for what should become his positive legacy. His critics smell blood and have gathered for the kill. It is doubtful the Democrats will be able to keep the Senate and the House will surely remain Republican.

 

Sadly, in my view, many of the leading Republicans are of the ultra-conservative and fundamentalist variety who blindly believe that an inviolable constitution and faith in God will resolve all of our problems. While these leaders have plenty of support, it is largely paid for and actually represents only about 15% of the population.

 

More importantly, these leaders have created a deep rift in the mainstream Republican party leaving the party handicapped in its efforts to generate alternatives to current national policies. Conflicting forces are cancelling each other out.

 

America is rabid over the ISIS beheadings. This ire was sufficient only to induce O to initiate air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. His plan is for the heretofore Iraqi army to serve as our skin in the ground game. He also has high hopes for the Kurds who he enlisted in the ground war but without the benefit of meaningful ordinance. They were issued little more than rifles.

 

Presumably, our fear is that heavy weaponry issued to the Kurds would be at considerable risk of being taken away and used against our interests. Such a scenario is not without precedent in the Middle East.

 

Nor are the Yanks at all pleased with Turkey. We feel they are not doing their bit. We also understand why. The Turks go ballistic when they think about their sworn enemy, the Kurds. This is about as far as our thinking goes.

 

I should think that from a British perspective, it may be reasonable to suspect the Turks are still fuming from their being iced out of the EU. Hence, their return to a more devoted practice of Islam and hesitance in aiding the West as a member of NATO and as a broker of Israeli-Palestinian solutions.

 

Against this background, we Americans hear Netanyahu constantly remind us that we are targeting the wrong enemy. We need to focus on Iran and their race to weaponize the atom. The Saudis and their migratory coterie of allies in Arabia remind us they too have a stake in the game.

 

Although not eager to put their dog in the fight, they have conceded to allow us space to train Iraqi soldiers and have unleashed their rampant flying princes into the air war.

 

The stark reality here is that we have not felt the impact of war. It is not heavy on our minds as are stagnant wages, skyrocketing prices, rampant entitlement spending, the erosion of our middle class and domestic issues such as immigration, governmental corruption and a failing education system.