Susan B. Anthony and Thoughts About Our Next President

Daryl

In late January of 2004 I said goodbye to Mr. Sayeed. He was a former Iraqi Air Force officer that acted as an electrician and interpreter for my unit. I learned how to count in Arabic from Mr. Sayeed, and a few Arabic phrases as well. Right before I had my US Customs brief I found Mr. Sayeed and handed him a Susan B. Anthony coin I had brought back with me from R&R.  He looked at the coin and asked, “Is she a historical figure?” I said, “Yes, she fought for women’s suffrage.” I told him our country is not perfect but it keeps getting better. I hope that someday Mr. Sayeed gives the coin to his granddaughter. I hope that maybe one day his granddaughter becomes the President of Iraq.

President Obama decided to pull all US troops out of Iraq. It was a political mistake for the US – a mistake with deadly consequences for the Iraqis. President Obama could have left a force of 10,000 US troops at Joint Base Balad. It’s close to Baghdad and could offer protection to our embassy employees.

The Iraqi Army became disheartened without US airpower. Airpower alone cannot hold ground or deter ISIS. President Obama misjudged the situation in Iraq badly.

Hillary thought overthrowing Gadhafi would bring democracy to Libya. Instead of democracy, Libya is now a safe haven for ISIS. She also misjudged the security situation of her personnel in Benghazi, and her poor judgment cost lives.
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The US is ready for a female president, but Hillary is just a poor fit. I have seen excellent female leaders in the Army. We already know that Hillary has a propensity to make poor decisions – we have eight years of bad foreign policy to demonstrate that. I am not ready for a key figure in the Obama administration to continue with his foreign policies. I hope that our next president, male or female, places the needs of the country above his or her own personal agenda.