Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Two decisions we may regret
From the RoundTable blog
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John Hansen
Hansen is a small business owner and a business and leadership consultant. He lives in Moneta.
In 2003, President Bush sought an authorization to attack Iraq. The arguments to justify this were numerous, and they were frightening. The country was reeling from 9/11 and was fearful of more attacks. The president's experts laid out the case that Iraq President Saddam Hussein was a danger to America. The evidence was well presented and drove fears of future terrorist attacks. It culminated in fear of a potential WMD attack. It was clear Saddam had done terrible things and was likely to do more. He had to be stopped before he brought his evil ambitions to American soil.
Congress was shown the evidence. The president and his Cabinet put a great deal of urgency behind the decision and pushed Congress for a quick decision. Congress, with little debate and little due diligence on alternatives, passed the measure with bipartisan (nearly unanimous) support in both houses.
There was no turning back. There never is from the decision to go to war. You can't try this for a little while and see how it works. We were committed, and we would have to deal with the consequences of our actions.
Six years later, some in Congress regret their decision in 2003. Some claim to have been pressured and given incomplete information. Some say the rush to make a decision and the exaggerated threats forced them to make a decision too quickly. They had no time for proper due diligence.
We now live with the irreversible consequences of that decision. No one knows (or can know) if things would have been better or worse had this authorization been rejected by Congress. Our nation made a decision and paid the price in terms of money, lives, international stature and national pride. The costs will be paid by generations to come.
In 2009, President Obama sought to pump trillions of dollars into our economy. The arguments to justify this authorization were numerous. And they were frightening. The country is reeling from a recession and is fearful of further downturn. The president's experts have laid out the case that this crisis is a danger to America. The evidence has been well presented and drives fear of another Great Depression. It culminates in fear of a collapse from which we might never recover. It is clear the economy is in trouble and is likely to get worse. This has to be stopped before it brings our nation to its knees.
Congress was shown the evidence. The president and his Cabinet put a great deal of urgency on the decision and pushed Congress for a quick decision. Congress, with little debate and little consideration of alternatives, passed the measure with bipartisan support in the Senate and bipartisan opposition in the House.
Six years (and 60 years) from now we will still be dealing with this decision. Some in Congress may regret their decision in 2009. Some will claim to have been pressured and given incomplete information. Some will say that the rush to make a decision and the exaggerated threats forced them to make a decision too quickly. There was not time for proper due diligence.
We will live with the irreversible consequences of this decision. No one knows (or can know) if things would have been better or worse had this authorization been rejected by Congress. Our nation made a decision and will pay the price in terms of money, lives, international stature and national pride. The costs will be paid by generations to come.
I see little difference between the decisions made in 2003 and 2009. Congress has committed us. There is no turning back.
Did the war in Iraq put us in more danger or did it prevent further terrorist attacks? Will printing trillions of dollars deepen the recession or end it?
Maybe we were bamboozled in 2003 by an overzealous president, bent on carrying out revenge against a man he despised. Maybe we are being bamboozled in 2009 by an overzealous president, bent on carrying out his vision of socialism. I have given up hope for Lent.
