OPINION: Who's Next?

By Roger Madon

Will this President of the United States ever become a president of the United States?  If the American people are asking this question in November of 2012 President Obama will serve only one term.

Let’s start from the top.  President Obama doesn’t go to Congress when deliberating about whether the United States should involve itself in the Libyan rebellion, which, constitutionally he doesn’t have to do, but rather seeks UN approval which he seems to believe he is obligated to do.

Then, after the United States obtained UN approval to engage our armed forces, he makes no attempt to come before the American people and explain the basis of his action.  This allows his opposition, which ironically comes from his liberal base, to have a field day in attacking the President as just another neo-con in sheep’s clothing.

The Libyan campaign, limited notwithstanding, at least so far, constitutes the sixth American military action involving Muslims in general or the Middle East in particular, over the last 20 years, 3 of which occurred since 9/11.  Just to give some clarity to this the United States has not been militarily involved in any other country or region during the same period.  It is obvious therefore that those countries or regions that adhere to the Islamic faith, and especially located near or in the Middle East, have become a cauldron of revolution and rebellion.  I don’t point this out as necessarily a bad thing since most of the governments of these Islamic countries which are presently on fire are autocratic and vicious. 

However every one of them, without exception, to one extent or another, are breeding grounds of America’s number one enemy, al-Qaeda.  And many of them produce America’s number one and essential import, oil.  So it’s not by accident that the United States finds itself entangled in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya while at the same time warily circling Iran looking for openings for conflict.

Tonight, finally, the President of the United States will be addressing the American people about why we are now fighting in Libya.  But he’s got to do more than that.  The American people sense that this president lacks a vision when it comes to our role on the world stage.  Worse they suspect that he does have a vision and it’s a United States that should take a back seat when it comes to international affairs.  Will he actually come to the American people tomorrow and explain that the Libyan campaign is nothing more than a one-off?  

It’s not.  But does he have the courage, or better yet the insight, to come before the American people and explain what as a candidate he denied:  America is at war with a resolute enemy which promotes a theocratic, virulent Islamic vision for world governance. 

Tonight if he doesn’t provide for us the big picture Americans, on both sides of the political spectrum, will abandon him in droves.