Sunday, January 06, 2008

Ancient History

Although it feels like a lifetime ago (and perhaps it was), I still remember the first presidential candidate I met, and later voted for. My sister, Nancy, and I, along with our dear friend Barb, went to a union hall after work in the fall of 1972 to hear George McGovern speak. In those more innocent times, all you had to do was show up and you were able to hear the man speak and shake his hand. I'm trying to remember if he had Secret Service protection, but I can't recall. I know there were handlers and TV crews present, but it was not difficult to get close to him.

In November, I proudly cast my first presidential vote for Senator McGovern. I've tried to do a Google search to find out the election results in my county that year, but suffice to say, I'm sure the good senator did not carry Hamilton County, Ohio.

I thought of Senator McGovern this morning, when reading an opinion piece in the Washington Post, entitled "Why I Believe Bush Must Go" in which he outlines why Mr. Bush should be impeached. While, at this point, impeachment might do more damage than it's worth, we should pay attention to the problems left behind by the Chimp and his entourage. The next president will have his or hands full trying to shovel out the dirt left behind.

Here's Senator McGovern's take:

Although the president was advised by the intelligence agencies last August that Iran had no program to develop nuclear weapons, he continued to lie to the country and the world. This is the same strategy of deception that brought us into war in the Arabian Desert and could lead us into an unjustified invasion of Iran. I can say with some professional knowledge and experience that if Bush invades yet another Muslim oil state, it would mark the end of U.S. influence in the crucial Middle East for decades.

Ironically, while Bush and Cheney made counterterrorism the battle cry of their administration, their policies -- especially the war in Iraq -- have increased the terrorist threat and reduced the security of the United States. Consider the difference between the policies of the first President Bush and those of his son. When the Iraqi army marched into Kuwait in August 1990, President George H.W. Bush gathered the support of the entire world, including the United Nations, the European Union and most of the Arab League, to quickly expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The Saudis and Japanese paid most of the cost. Instead of getting bogged down in a costly occupation, the administration established a policy of containing the Baathist regime with international arms inspectors, no-fly zones and economic sanctions. Iraq was left as a stable country with little or no capacity to threaten others.

Today, after five years of clumsy, mistaken policies and U.S. military occupation, Iraq has become a breeding ground of terrorism and bloody civil strife. It is no secret that former president Bush, his secretary of state, James A. Baker III, and his national security adviser, Gen. Brent Scowcroft, all opposed the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq.


See? There are some Republicans who got it right - it ain't so difficult, now is it?

And I'm still proud of my vote in 1972.

4 comments:

Ted D said...

Becks, My Pop still talks about McGovern. He said he would have made a great President. Dad also really liked Barry Goldwater (Arizona?). He's also told me over the years that the saddest he ever was over a President, other that Kennedy being killed, was the day Nixon had to leave office in disgrace. Not sad for Nixon, but sad for our country and the Office of President.

Be proud of that vote, Becks. If my Dad said he was good, you definately cast the right vote.

Anonymous said...

A little behind in reading your blog, but I enjoyed this walk down memory lane, was it really nearly 36 years ago. You reminded me of how exciting politics used to be! Remember, how little that union hall was, I bet there wasn't even 100 people there. And my last time to see a presidential candidate speak was Clinton and Gore in 1990 at Coney Island and there were a lot more people there. I remember Molly got to shake Gore's hand.

Anonymous said...

it was almost like going to see a rock star.....so exciting, would not have went if it was not for Cathy....little and intiment....can not remenber any sercert service (or police).....wow the good ole innocent days........I MISS THEM.....sometimes....barbara ann

beckperson said...

Hey Barb and Nanner - it's hard to believe it's been 36 freakin' years, eh? If I remember correctly, after we went to see Senator McGovern, we went out to a bar. So we weren't completely nerdy!