President Obama has taken a wrong turn on the road to peace. He has forgotten his promises and ideals. He has bowed to pressure from hawks and generals and is leading the American people into an unforeseeable future in the Afghanistan region.
He calls Afghanistan a war of necessity and a just war, but it is neither necessary nor just. It is a foolish and heartbreaking mistake to send 30,000 more soldiers into harm’s way for an indefinite period when our military is already stretched to the breaking point and a price tag of billions will be passed on to our children. Even the timeline for beginning withdrawal is misleading. The president is trying to have it both ways—accept a Nobel Peace Prize in one hand and carry a big stick in the other: It can’t be done.
In this season when Christian believers await the birth of the Prince of Peace, it saddens me as an American citizen and a person of faith that our nation and its leaders continue to put trust in weapons of war over humanitarian and development aid. If a just and peaceful future exists, it won’t come as a result of this president’s recent decision.
This article appears in Dec 17-24, 2009.
