There were no surprises in the other night’s speech from President Obama. In many ways, it reminded me of the Apple presentation, except the inventor of the iPod talked about conquering the world. The U.S. is going to cobble together a coalition to go after ISIS, just without any combat troops. I found nothing of value in the president’s speech. I note that he managed to carve out time to tout about the amazing economic achievements in America. However, I suspect that part fell on deaf ears.
The market has mostly traded as if ISIS would be resolved, and Russia would get to keep larger swathes of Ukraine without fanfare. It remains to be seen how we trade today, but placating the stock market and convincing the American public are two different things.
It's Been Thirteen Years
Taking the American way of life for granted is one of the biggest threats to our nation, along with a fading belief in God and our weak educational system. As we remember 9-11, we should be mindful of how little Americans fear terrorism. Interestingly, only 4% think it is the most important issue from 46% in 2001, a testimony to our success, but also a whistling past the graveyard.
I have written about this in the past, but it is important to remember that the challenges in the future will be much more difficult than dealing with ISIS. Making this more worrisome is the reluctance as a nation to fight wars. President Obama mentioned the pledge “No boots on the ground” last night, but one day, we will need ground troops.
It seems when there is an appetite for combat as public opinion only turns south once there are at least 2,000 causalities. Yet, the greatest wars and victories came at a much heavier cost. In fact, we lost 4,196 soldiers in the Philippine-American War; and no one seems to have ever heard of that one. I always get angry emails when I write or talk of Americans fighting, and am often asked, “Why don’t you go and fight?” Real talk: I would, but I am not sure the Army wants me. In the meantime, I plan to be a warrior for American values because I will never forget September 11, 2001, and all of the many warriors who lost their lives. God Bless America…