 OK, I get it! Republicans are sore losers and they like to spread the pain. To make the point that President of the United States, Barack Obama, knows very little about international affairs, especially what’s going on in the Middle East, they’ve unleashed an attack led by their number-one angry white male, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
It’s sad to see McCain in this
role. Yes, McCain, the man who has served his country for more than 50
years, a war hero, congressman, senator, presidential candidate,
respected statesman — and the man who chose Sarah Palin as his vice
presidential running mate. McCain attacks United Nations Ambassador
Susan Rice solely because of his disdain for Obama.
McCain
claims that he and the Republicans want answers about the embassy
attack in Benghazi but, instead of examining and digesting the
intelligence provided by the agencies involved, he launched an attack on
Rice, even promising to block her potential nomination for secretary of
State. Never willing to allow Rice to go through the process, nor
extending to his colleagues the courtesy of forming their own opinions,
McCain took it upon himself to muddy the proverbial waters.
McCain
is angry and claims that Rice is not the problem; the problem is the
president for failing to promptly tell Americans that Benghazi came
under a terrorist attack by a group or groups that might be involved
with al-Qaida.
Rice
asked to go to Capitol Hill to face some of her Republican critics.
Unfortunately, she basically walked into the Sore Loser’s Den and the
meeting left more questions than produced answers. One attendee, Sen.
Bob Corker of Tennessee, suggested that Rice would be more qualified to
run the Democratic National Committee than to be secretary of State.
Fiscal cliff
It
appears that McCain is using Rice as the latest decoy to divert the
attention of the American people from the reality that the Republicans
just don’t understand the message the voters sent on Nov. 6, when they
re-elected Obama. Instead, they continue to play games in an attempt to
embarrass the president.
Meanwhile,
the government is headed for the fiscal cliff — you know, a number of
steps which, if not taken, could result in tax increases for you and me,
spending cuts in areas such as education and social services and a
corresponding reduction in the budget deficit beginning in 2013.
The
centerpiece of the problem is the upcoming expiration of the Bush-era
tax cuts and, if nothing is done, inaction would be devastating for the
economy and potentially spark another recession, the third in 11 years.
The
Obama administration has proposed avoiding going over the fiscal cliff
by extending middle class tax cuts, allowing tax cuts for the wealthiest
Americans to go back up to Clinton-era levels, investing in
infrastructure (jobs, jobs) and ending
the Afghanistan war.
Republicans
have turned up their nose at Obama’s plan, arguing that it spends more
than it saves, and they are deadest against letting the tax breaks for
the rich, given under then President George W. Bush, expire.
No specifics
But
Republicans so far have not put forth any specifics about which
spending cuts they would make to balance the budget. Don’t you hate it
when people are at the negotiating table acting out their agenda but
claiming they don’t have one?
If
Congress fails to act, America will go over the fiscal cliff on Jan.
1. Why isn’t McCain launching attacks against his buddies in Congress
for dragging their feet in taking care of the business of the American
people? I’m not saying that the situation with Rice and the killing of
our diplomats in Benghazi is not important. But I’d like to take McCain
aside and ask him, “Is your disdain for President Obama worth your
beloved country’s economy rolling down the fiscal slope?” I would
continue by reminding him that charity and good deeds start at home. I
would end the conversation with this question, “What the heck are you
thinking? Is this how you show love for your country?”
Rosa
Reed has worked in senior management positions in community-based and
governmental organizations throughout a 30-year career. She was born in
Cuba, grew up in California, is currently based in Key West, and is a
graduate of Barry University, with degrees in in business administration
and marketing. She may be reached at
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