Originally published by San Diego Rostra: July 5, 2010
Bill Crystal, editor of The Weekly Standard, was the first of many Conservatives to call for the resignation of GOP Chairman, Michael Steele, who, during a fundraiser in Noank, Connecticut, not only claimed that Obama should get out of Afghanistan, but that Afghanistan was Obama’s war.
“Keep in mind again, for our federal candidates, this was a war of Obama’s choosing,…This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.”
”It was the president who was trying to be cute by flipping a script demonizing Iraq, while saying the battle really should be in Afghanistan…”
“Well, if he’s such a student of history, has he not understood that, you know, that’s the one thing you don’t do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan? All right, because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed. And there are reasons for that. There are other ways to engage in Afghanistan.” (Politics Daily, July 3)
All in all, I have liked and admired Michael Steele, but this time, I must agree that his remarks are inexcusable. Are we now going to imitate the Democrats by politicizing a war? And will such politics come at the cost of indisputable facts? At the expense of making the most obvious understatement of the 21st Century, George Bush brought us into Afghanistan and rightly so: The mastermind of 9/11 had been granted sanctuary in that country by the Taliban.
Steele would certainly be welcome to criticize Obama’s horrible execution of the war, including ludicrous rules of engagement and schedules announcing ahead of time when we will withdraw. Obama’s performance as Commander-In Chief staggers the imagination and Steele has plenty of legitimate ammunition. Be that as it may, Obama did not bring us into Afghanistan and any insinuation to the contrary can only be ranked with those intelligent speeches that blamed George Bush for starting hurricanes.
Some have expressed concern that by calling for Steele’s resignation, Republicans may get painted as a racist party once again. Steele, after all, being African-American, served as a welcomed reminder that our problem with Obama was his policy and not his skin color. Will Conservatives be accused for the umpteenth time of being unable to handle a black man in power? Of course they will! Did you even need to ask? The Left shows no indication that they tire of playing this wild card. Indeed, given the kinds of outlandish statements coming out of Steele’s mouth recently, we can’t be all too sure that the man won’t cry racism himself. I’m not saying he will and I certainly hope he doesn’t, but perhaps we should brace ourselves for any possibility.
In my opinion, giving into the fear of being called racist would be a disaster for Republicans and other Conservatives. For one thing, it throws out our very first argument, namely that Steele has disgraced his party by using the devices of Democrats. Whether the tactic is politicizing a war or injecting race into an argument, the hypocrisy would be the same. We can’t rebuke Steele for being disingenuous, all the while keeping him on due to our own Political Correctness.
Besides, the Left will sling those racist accusations like mud balls no matter what Republicans do. Supporting Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell made no difference. The very history of Republicans, created as the party against slavery, makes no difference. The fact that untold numbers of Democratic politicians had a legacy of supporting Jim Crow laws and a “prestigious” senator, Bob Byrd, who had once been a member of the KKK, makes no difference. So why would the Left explore our legitimate reasons for encouraging Steele to resign?
The Left will hate us and lie about us no matter what we do. We may as well do what is right. By placing ethics above public opinion, we can regain the respect of fellow Conservatives who are tired of the pandering and compromising. The others were not going to join our cause anyway. Why do we lose so much sleep over their good will?
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