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I
think Mitt Romney is not the ideal candidate for the presidency. But
four years have shown that Obama is not fit for the office in any
regard. Having no experience in executive management when elected,
he was unable or unwilling to forge bi-partisan support for one of
the most important legislative initiatives in US history. The
Democrats pushed through the health care act with arm-twisting and
special deals for a few Democratic senators and congressmen. The
offers of amendment from the Republicans were ignored, and
bi-partisanship was abandoned. Promising before elected that any
legislation passed would have ample time for review and careful
consideration, the health care act was rushed through, with Nancy
Pelosi famously declaring, “you have to pass it before you can know
what is in it.”
That
is the management style of Barack Obama. He does not unite us, but
divides us. And, instead of working on the serious problems facing
our nation, he has spent the past year or more campaigning and
fund-raising for re-election. Obama apparently has no time to meet
with the Prime Minister of Israel, or other foreign leaders, but is
always available, it seems, to appear on TV with David Letterman or
the ladies of “The View.”
Consider
the serious lack of judgment displayed by the president in choosing
Joe Biden for the vice-presidency. Who really wants Joe Biden
as a potential President? In Danville, Biden plays the race-card as
he declares the Republicans want to “put ya'll back in chains.”
In Lynchburg, he speaks of his good friend “Tom” Kaine. In the
vice-presidential debates he spent over an hour impersonating
Chuckles the Clown, rather than engaging in serious consideration of
very serious questions. Then, in a moment of apparent sober
reflection, he declares that as a “practicing Catholic” he is
determined to defy the teaching of his church. Then he asserts that
Obamacare offers no threat to the freedom of Catholic and other
institutions to provide health care coverage that does not conflict
with religious convictions. In this regard Biden is either terribly
uninformed or an absolute liar. Over forty religious and private
institutions, including Notre Dame and the evangelical Wheaton
College, are suing the Obama administration for relief from the
requirements of the HHS department. These colleges and businesses
and charities would not be hiring attorneys and filing lawsuits if
there were not a significant threat. Biden is either a liar or
incompetent. The evidence suggests he is both.
We
must also consider the administration's response to the tragedy at
the Libyan consulate. Who determined to ignore the repeated requests
from our embassy in Libya for enhanced protection? Who spun the false
narrative that the attack there was a spontaneous demonstration in
reaction to a YouTube video? Why did the president, vice-president,
secretary of state, our ambassador to the U.N., and many other
spokesmen continue to mislead the public about the causes and
response to this tragedy? The handling of this affair shows either
gross incompetence or gross dishonesty. On the heels of the bungled
“fast and furious” guns-for-criminals fiasco, one should be very
suspicious of this administration's ability to handle national
security matters.
Finally,
what of the morality of this administration? Does anyone think it is
moral to conduct warfare in such a way that far more civilians are
killed than enemy combatants? The Obama administration has greatly
increased the number of drone attacks in Pakistan and Yemen. CNN
recently reported: “U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan have killed
far more people than the United States has acknowledged, have
traumatized innocent residents and largely been ineffective,
according to a new study released Tuesday. The study by Stanford Law
School and New York University's School of Law calls for a
re-evaluation of the practice, saying the number of "high-level"
targets killed as a percentage of total casualties is extremely low
-- about 2%.” Another way of
stating that statistic: for every 2 terrorists we kill, 100
civilians (including many children) also die. Authorities of the
present administration indicate they intend to increase such attacks.
It is unfortunate that Romney has not indicated that he will change
this policy. I hope that he would if elected, and we can encourage
him to do so, while the President apparently intends to continue this
immoral warfare.
I
don't suggest voting for the “lesser of two evils.” I do believe
in voting against what is evil or foolish. It may be uncertain what
Romney will do, but it is clear what Obama has done. Many of the
actions of the current administration are at best foolish, and at
worst evil, and should not be supported.
