My rant for today

Sorry, I'm having a bad day...

I was watching the Kieth Oberman show on MSNBC today before I went to work. I guess it is fair to say that he isn’t the most conservative commentator on TV. That said, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’m a big proponent of free speech, but I am also a big fan of responsible speech. (Like the old example of yelling fire in a movie theater—sure it is free speech, but it isn’t very responsible). Basically, what he was saying was that the war is already lost, we are throwing away troops’ lives and President Bush is getting kids killed solely for his ego.
I know it is tempting to engage in fiery rhetoric when trying to get a point across, but he (among many other politicians and commentators) need to remember that words mean things. By saying that the war is lost and that we are dying for nothing has 2 major effects: 1. The constant drumbeat of failure talk has a demoralizing effect on our troops, 2. Irresponsible talk like that gives aid and comfort to our enemy. Every time they hear this defeatist talk, they are encouraged. They feel that, if they can hold out a little longer, we will give up and they will win. We know that. I truly feel that I we tone down the rhetoric, and let politics stop at the water’s edge, this war would over a lot sooner.
I have seen the situation over here first hand—we are fighting a truly evil enemy and we are winning, just let us finish the job. The president said it will not be easy and it will be long. He was right, but it is a fight worth fighting.