It struck me after President Bush’s speech Wednesday night (January 10th) that this country is in for a rough ride in 2007.
The Iraq War challenge affects not only the Executive Branch but also the Congress, now run by opponents of the War, which wants to withdraw the troops from Iraq as quickly as possible. No one does not want to see troops return home; however, it is the timeframe attached to the word “possible” that spurs much controversy.
While this less than insignificant international activity unfolds before the our eyes and those of the world, incoming Democratic leaders are pursuing a catchy, made-for-2008-Presidential-election-campaign, first-100-hours legislative blitz affecting domestic matters.
Based on their agenda (minimum wage, Medicare, stem cell research, ethics reform, etc.), the new keepers of majority rule will solve every domestic ill except for establishing the right to free satellite – or cable -- TV. We don’t want to favor one industry over another. That would be unethical.
Excuse my smarty-pants temperament. I can’t help myself at times. Seriously, though, 2007 promises to the time when we tax our talent to the max, especially in the Executive Branch.
I’ve discussed in this column before that the rising stars and key players in government operations will come out of the State Department and not the Defense Department. The country has concluded either: a) the War in Iraq is essentially lost, or b) a military solution is not appropriate. Consequently, we will turn ever more swiftly and surely toward diplomatic collaborations, interventions, and solutions.
With the President’s proposed surge likely to proceed despite a strong initial negative citizen reaction and possible symbolic Congressional resolutions against it, the State and Defense Departments will be working overtime and in tandem to successfully deliver a one-two punch to the pugilistic perpetrators in Mesopotamia, the Cradle of Civilization.
The dust has yet to settle on either the Congress’s 100 hours campaign, i.e., the Democrats’ Contract with America, or the President’s “new way forward,” i.e., surge until we succeed. Thus, it may be rather premature to analyze what could occur with these dynamics facing the government.
Despite these cautions, YETMO is stepping out fearlessly, unabashedly, and, as often may be the case, foolishly, to pronounce that a very difficult year lies ahead. A year where the country’s domestic-foreign, yin and yang, ping pong milieu will produce such churning that it’s hard to imagine a bipartisanship atmosphere emerging which all Americans know is long overdue.
Sit back. Read your papers and periodicals. Keep an eye on the cable TV news shows. I suspect that we will be overloaded with stories and intrigues as the year evolves and the seasons change.
Sleep well. Rest yourselves. You will need your energy in the weeks and months to come.
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 460 words.
© January, 2007