Opinion
COMEDIAN ANDY GRIFFITH concludes in his narrative “What it was, was football,” that the object of the game is to run from one end of a cow pasture to another with a funny little pumpkin, without either getting knocked down, or stepping in something. That pretty much describes politics, doesn't it?
Take, for example, the raid that resulted in the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Now there's a political football if ever I saw one. Two teams, the Republicans and the Democrats want that football. They'll do anything to take possession and run with it. The Democrats have possession and they're desperate to keep it. They don't have much else going for them.
Officially, the Republicans aren't fighting for possession as stridently as one might expect. They aren't the brightest porch lights in the American political neighborhood. But a “special team,” the Navy Seals who actually conducted the mission and aren't particularly fans of the Obama administration, are trying to sneak the ball away from the Democrats before they can make a touchdown. One of them has gone so far as to disclose details of the mission in a book entitled No Easy Day. In it, he criticizes the President for a lack of resolve and an inability to make a decision, attributes that seriously endangered the mission and the men who conducted it. The Administration, of course, denies this.
One might suspect that the White House is miffed because No Easy Day tends to refute the Administration's own finely tuned version of the story, and they're messing with the President's legacy – possibly the only one Obama has.
Now, no one yet has enough evidence to decide which side is telling the truth. However, inasmuch as President Obama has never demonstrated a penchant for decisiveness – remember, he's the one who voted “Present” more often than not as a legislator – I may be excused for siding with the Seals, but I stand ready to be persuaded.
The President has sent his special team onto the field to regain possession. Attorney General Eric Holder is suing for possession of the book – well, at least all profits from it. Although the author is anonymous, I can surmise that he is not an African-American. Holder has stated on the public record that he will not prosecute "his people."
Actually, I'm surprised that the Seals were tapped for this mission. It was not only dangerous, but also, the diplomatic fallout would have been catastrophic had they failed, especially had the Seal Team fallen into the hands of the Pakistanis. Why didn't Eric Holder simply ship weapons to the Pakistanis and allow them to take out Bin Laden for us. That strategy worked so well in Mexico, didn't it?
Please don't judge me too harshly for making light of this matter. I know it's serious. However, when I learned that Osama was hiding near a town named Abbotabad, I couldn't help thinking that it was only appropriate that the mission be directed by Bud Abbott's partner in comedy, Lou Costello, or his intellectual equal.
Officially, the Republicans aren't fighting for possession as stridently as one might expect. They aren't the brightest porch lights in the American political neighborhood. But a “special team,” the Navy Seals who actually conducted the mission and aren't particularly fans of the Obama administration, are trying to sneak the ball away from the Democrats before they can make a touchdown. One of them has gone so far as to disclose details of the mission in a book entitled No Easy Day. In it, he criticizes the President for a lack of resolve and an inability to make a decision, attributes that seriously endangered the mission and the men who conducted it. The Administration, of course, denies this.
One might suspect that the White House is miffed because No Easy Day tends to refute the Administration's own finely tuned version of the story, and they're messing with the President's legacy – possibly the only one Obama has.
Now, no one yet has enough evidence to decide which side is telling the truth. However, inasmuch as President Obama has never demonstrated a penchant for decisiveness – remember, he's the one who voted “Present” more often than not as a legislator – I may be excused for siding with the Seals, but I stand ready to be persuaded.
The President has sent his special team onto the field to regain possession. Attorney General Eric Holder is suing for possession of the book – well, at least all profits from it. Although the author is anonymous, I can surmise that he is not an African-American. Holder has stated on the public record that he will not prosecute "his people."
Actually, I'm surprised that the Seals were tapped for this mission. It was not only dangerous, but also, the diplomatic fallout would have been catastrophic had they failed, especially had the Seal Team fallen into the hands of the Pakistanis. Why didn't Eric Holder simply ship weapons to the Pakistanis and allow them to take out Bin Laden for us. That strategy worked so well in Mexico, didn't it?
Please don't judge me too harshly for making light of this matter. I know it's serious. However, when I learned that Osama was hiding near a town named Abbotabad, I couldn't help thinking that it was only appropriate that the mission be directed by Bud Abbott's partner in comedy, Lou Costello, or his intellectual equal.
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