Alarming political statements

It is simply too tough as an American citizen – and as a retired military officer – to sit idly by in this wild and wacky political season. So I won’t. I am gravely concerned that politics is forcing our candidates for high office to make some alarming statements without fully appreciating their impact on our citizenry and our friends and enemies abroad.

Consider this: Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for the presidency, says it would be OK with him for us to remain in Iraq for 100 years. He clarified this statement by adding “as long as there were no American casualties.” And frankly, that may be the case – 100 years. After all, we have been in Germany and Japan for over 60 years already following World War II, and there is no likelihood that will change anytime soon. Imagine the impact of this statement abroad if not carrying the qualifying phrase. Here at home, McCain’s comments fired up his liberal opponents and gave them a strong rallying cry to advocate against his election and for their presumptive candidate, Sen. Barack Obama.

McCain also has continued to oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. This stance is strongly opposed by conservatives who seek energy independence, recognizing that independence is vital to national security as I wrote in this column earlier this month. Yet, I suspect that oil-producing nations abroad have a different take on his stance.

Of course, Obama has also made some upsetting remarks. He has declared strongly that he “will end the war in Iraq.” He doesn’t say how he will end it. Will it have a satisfactory or an unsatisfactory ending? He also advocated spending cuts of “tens of billions” from defense-related projects. He would “slow development of future combat systems,” seek a world without nuclear weapons, work with Russia to take our long-range nuclear missiles off “hair trigger alert,” and make “deep cuts in our nuclear arsenal.” And with these statements, he fires up the conservative opponents. Consider for a moment how pleased some of our enemies abroad may be to hear these comments.

Politicians, being politicians, unfortunately speak to the specific audience where they may be at the time. But in today’s world of instant communication, their remarks are heard and seen around the world within minutes. Many, if not most, Americans have a limited understanding of our government. Most foreigners have almost no understanding of our government, and that is why so many political statements bouncing around the world are upsetting to, or misunderstood by, our friends and allies – and our enemies as well.

So then, what is my concern? Simply this: Presidential candidates can and do say “I will, as president, do this or that.” They can say it, but presidents can do very little without a Congress that provides the funds and the enabling legislation.

As citizens, we need to look beyond the bold assertions, the bumper sticker slogans and the political hyperbole of the presidential candidates. We also need to seriously look at the other candidates for high office – our representatives and senators at the national level. In a very significant way, these senators and representatives are the ones who provide the funding and legislation for the president’s platform.

We do ourselves and our country a disservice if we do not study our candidates for high office by looking at the totality of their positions rather than one or two isolated positions that may or may not be reflective of their total political makeup. We do a much graver disservice if our voting is predicated solely on the views we see on extreme liberal or conservative blogs or hear on talk radio or TV. We need to study and understand the pros and cons of each political platform.

Responsible voting is not something that happens in a voting booth in a few minutes. Responsible voting requires a full and complete understanding of the candidates, their positions and what they may be able to actually accomplish.

I encourage you to be a “responsible voter.” Our nation depends on it!