I always loathed the term, “Bush’s War” when applied specifically to operations in Iraq and more generally to Iraq plus Afghanistan and beyond, and I loathe it just as much when people call it “Obama’s War.” (Ditto “the war in” either place; they are campaigns in the same larger conflict. The Bush Administration, whatever considerable good it did in waging the war, shot itself in the foot when it did not wage an equally vociferous effort to establish the proper terms. Words mean things!) It’s neither President’s war– it’s America’s War. The conflict was with us long before Bush took office, and will be with us long after Obama leaves, which, Inshallah, will be soon.
Barone points to a pernicious trend long at work in one of the two major parties and now showing signs of emerging in the other– “rooting for your country’s defeat”. Time for POTUS to exercise some leadership, to stand up and employ not only his famed eloquence but some substance as well, and reframe the good war/bad war in victory/defeat terms: the bad war is one you needed to win but let yourself lose.
Twelve months will go fast, and there is much to be done.
