The National Hustle

After nearly nine months in office, President Obama is under heavy pressure to follow through on the campaign promises that got him elected.  Obama inherited a heaping plate of problems from his predecessor, but he now has to take ownership over the successes and failures of these issues, including the economy, health care reform, and the war in Afghanistan.

Although very few Americans had any reservations about retaliating against Al Qaeda and the Taliban after 9/11, the past eight years has seen many Americans become dissolutioned with our role in Afghanistan.  The Iraq War has diverted both military resources and public attention, resulting in today’s all-too-common questions: (1) What are we trying to achieve in Afghanistan?, and (2) Should we send more troops?

To help provide an updated perspective, Frontline aired “Obama’s War” last night:

- Matt

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Most Americans recognize San Francisco as one of the most progressive, free-thinking cities in the country.  Some choose to lampoon this fact with seemingly innoccuous yet purposefully derogatory phrases like “San Francisco Values.”  No matter on which side of the fence you reside, we can all agree that you will see and experience things in ”Baghdad by the Bay” that you won’t anywhere else.

For example, earlier this year I was boarding the Muni (SF’s local transist system) and in place of a typical bus-side advertisement for McDonald’s or the current movie blockbuster, I had a simply advertised question staring at me: Why Islam?  Later in the day, another Muni drove by bearing an ad that read “Islam: Submission to God”.  In addition to these messages, each of these traveling billboards included a phone number (1-877-WhyIslam) and a web site (WhyIslam.org).

Even in an open-minded (sometimes to the point of apathy), yet opinionated (sometimes to the point of arrogance) city like San Francisco, this ad campaign somehow caught me offguard.  Perhaps I’m used to seeing only commercial messages pasted onto Muni vehicles and kiosks or maybe I have grown all too familiar with typical Western media portrayals of Islam, which is to say…that it is the religion of terrorists.  And although I’m semi-worldly enough to recognize the fallacy in this widely-held view (believe it or not, not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslim), seeing Islam publicized in a positive light was unusually shocking. Continue reading

This week, President Obama confronted the nay-sayers of his progressive budget:

The American people don’t have the luxury of just focusing on Wall Street. They don’t have the luxury of choosing to pay their mortgage or their medical bills. They don’t get to pick between paying their kids’ college tuition or saving enough money for retirement.

They have to do all these things. They have to confront all these problems. And as a consequence, so do we.

Obama states the obvious that only focusing on the economy (and AIG) is impossible for a successful president, and he’s clearly inherited a bevy of domestic and international issues to address.  He could try to handle them one-by-one, but since the World won’t wait, he should probably start fixing all of them…right…about…now:

• War in Iraq — As we spoon-feed responsibility to the Iraqis in accordance with the agreed-upon mandate, things are improving, right?
• War in Afghanistan — The new administration’s most seasoned veteran of U.S.-Afghan engagement (and I don’t mean just since 9/11), Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is telling everyone who will listen about the complicated difficulties of solidarity in Afghanistan.
• Military presence in Kosovo — Yes, we’re still there, with some criticism that we are using our bases as a European Guantanamo.
• Resurgent Taliban in Pakistan — The tribal regions and Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan are essentially under Taliban control. Continue reading