Tuesday, September 11, 2007
An Observation: II
Watching the Congressional hearings yesterday and today, the difference between the approaches of the Congressmen and Senators to the Iraq issue and the approaches of Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker became clear.
The Members and Senators are all about talking about the problem. Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker are all about doing something about the problem.
That our esteemed legislators would rather talk than do is not surprising. They live and breathe politics and debate. What actions they take are less important to them than the stand that they take when talking to the voters "back home" (I use scare quotes because many of them are more oriented toward Washington than toward the people in the districts and states that elect them). They call to mind the adage, "When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."
Crocker and Petraeus, on the other hand, are evaluated on the basis of what they have actually accomplished in resolving issues and solving problems associated with Iraq, and so it is in their interests to cut through the BS and act as efficiently as possible to successfully complete their respective missions.
It seems that the further one is from the action, the easier it is to spout glib "solutions". Of course, those most removed from Iraq and who have zero accountability for what happens there are the MoveOn folks, and look at what they say.
The Members and Senators are all about talking about the problem. Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker are all about doing something about the problem.
That our esteemed legislators would rather talk than do is not surprising. They live and breathe politics and debate. What actions they take are less important to them than the stand that they take when talking to the voters "back home" (I use scare quotes because many of them are more oriented toward Washington than toward the people in the districts and states that elect them). They call to mind the adage, "When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."
Crocker and Petraeus, on the other hand, are evaluated on the basis of what they have actually accomplished in resolving issues and solving problems associated with Iraq, and so it is in their interests to cut through the BS and act as efficiently as possible to successfully complete their respective missions.
It seems that the further one is from the action, the easier it is to spout glib "solutions". Of course, those most removed from Iraq and who have zero accountability for what happens there are the MoveOn folks, and look at what they say.
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