Posted by
Angie on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 2:52:08 PM
I take national election personally. It might mean that my husband gets a new boss so for 6 month out of year(except this election cycle) my blood pressure skyrockets. For 17 years, our lives have been at the mercy of how elections turned out. This election would seem no different, except it is. There seems so much at stake and while McCain wasn’t my first choice- the only other option seems so dangerously naïve. When I saw headlines that read “Obama Goes after Military Voters” and “ Michelle Obama Meets with Military Spouses”—it piqued my interest. Had it been a blood bath or had she been welcomed?
I am not unbiased. I am a die-hard conservative, and I am waiting for the Republican party to get back to its roots, but any time a candidate takes the time to reach out to the military families I listen with an open mind. The last two weeks have been filled with controversy over Obama skipping the Landstuhl visit, and then turning down a town hall meeting with McCain at Fort Hood to vacation and fundraise in Hawaii. Was Michelle becoming his military “ambassador”? I started to read the article hoping that there had been some tough questions . Maybe Michelle might give us more than the generalize answer that I have come to expect from her husband. Face it, Hope is not a verb or an action.. If it was my husband would be next to me rubbing my back or taking care of my one year old daughter who decided to cut both her molars and eye teeth at once.. Needless to say, I’m still hoping and my daughter is still screaming. I am still waiting for confirmation from other military wives that command actually conspires with our spouses to make sure they are gone during certain times—but that is for another rant….<cue x-files theme song>.. Hope doesn’t work for me. I know it works for a lot of Obama’s supporters, but I wanted something more substantial and tangible.
I didn’t get it. I heard the canned stories that EVERY military spouse suffers from. Lack of support with spouse gone, stress, Tricare etc etc. I am not downplaying their concerns. If anyone can sympathize-I can, but complaining about lack of support due to deployment in a military family is like complaining that your houseful of men leaves the toilet seat up. It is what it is. That is the wonderful life of a military family. It hasn’t changed since my husband joined in 1991 serving through 3 Presidents from two different political parties and it isn’t going to change. You roll with it. Didn’t any of these wives ask policy question that effect their husband’s future in a broader sense? Or were they stuck on the now? Didn't they realize the bigger ramifications of leaving Iraq early or the importance of the war on terror?
The article had the typical politician answers <mentally patting us on the head>.. You know the line , “it is the soldier that gets all the glory and people forget about the families blah blah blah. As I read on I became miffed. Why all the soft ball questions? Where were the questions that mattered to me? Then like a ray of light the word stood out… HANDPICKED. They handpicked the spouses who were invited and those on the panel. Apparently there is a group of military spouses called Blue Stars for Obama (or as I like to call them “ those who didn’t have to live in the military during the last Demo Pres.)
So I started thinking about espionage and crashing a political event and all those things that make me feel like Angelina Jolie in Ms Smith…(A girl can dream). What would I ask? So I compiled questions that I could shout at Michelle Obama as they carried me out the door like those weird Code Pink grannies at a Senate Iraq hearing.
1. - Why did your husband feel it necessary to invite every reporter and their brother to his middle eastern fact finding mission? Wouldn’t it have been more feasible and peaceful had he quietly met with the soldier and the brass. He would have looked like he were actually contemplating the surge?
2. What qualifies your husband to disagree with General Petreus’ position in Iraq and publically no less- in light of the fact that 6 months ago he didn’t realize that Iraqis & Afghanis speak different languages?
3. Why couldn’t he quietly go visit the soldiers at Landstuhl without fanfare or campaign advisors? Do soldiers make you feel uncomfortable?
4. Why do you only meet with handpicked military families? If your husband is elected, he will represent us all. We are a diverse crowd with many opinions and needs.
5. Why do you feel the need to dress like Jackie O?( sorry that is a little catty, but geez develop your own style.)
6. Why is your husband the campaigner of “yes we can”, but when talking to the Military Times about benefits he becomes the campaigner of “I’ll try?” Obama said he did not want to be more specific because he did not want to make promises he might not be able to keep. “I think we can do a much better job than we’re doing right now,” he said. But, he added, “I want to be honest: We are going to be in a tight budget situation. We’re not going to be able to do everything all at once.” In the words of Yoda……there is no try only do… (and I like to thank my husband and son for turning me into a geek…)
7. How many is “residual force” that your husband wants to leave in Iraq? Will it be enough to complete the mission and protect our loved ones or should we expect Blackhawk Down II.
8. -Your husband talks about redeploying troops to Iraq if need be. Doesn’t he realize that when we lose our foothold redeploying will be five times more dangerous?
9. Your husband talks about deploying troops to Afghanistan. Isn’t he aware that the problem isn’t the troops, but our NATO allies who each have their own rules of engagement? Isn’t he aware of the history of large amounts of troops in Afghanistan?
10. - Why when dealing with a crisis like Russia vs. Georgia is your husband’s first instinct to go to the UN Security Council… Isn’t he aware of their failings in Sudan, Darfur and Somalia to a name a few.?
I probably could make a list of hundreds of questions I want answered, because I haven’t heard the answers anywhere else, but let’s face it I am not that good of an actor and probably wouldn’t make it through the door. I don't have that shiny, new naive smile on my face. And if I did by chance fool the Obamaics to believe that I was one of them who believes hope is an action—My first question would leave everyone in the room speechless…. “ Mrs Obama, Mrs. Obama—Your husband speaks about earning the military’s trust. How does he propose to do this when he keeps ducking those of us in this community that would actually asked him some tough questions?”
And as I sit in the jail cell next to the Code Pink Granny for crashing an Obama Hope Party, Michelle Obama is laughing it up at a $100-$2500 a plate fundraiser feeling good about herself. She knows what we all do. The news is in the tank for Obama, and only those of us who care will see that she met with “handpicked” supporters. Face it, it wasn’t a meeting with military spouses--- It was a stunt for publicity to give Obama credibility with the military that is why you don’t see Blue Stars for McCain—He doesn’t need them. He has the credibility with us. His son served in Iraq. He has given more to this country than most of can imagine and I am still waiting for Obama’s answers… I have HOPE.