What happened to things like the Iraq War, General Petraeus, the troop surge and al-Qaeda? Did they drop completely off of our national political scene? Don’t get me wrong, American’s no longer have the energy or patience to chase down “evildoers” abroad. I wish these issues would be gone forever. But they’re not; it was only a year ago that these issues were the most important things in the political arena. Today it is headlined by the worst financial crisis in recent memory. In a New York Times/CBS poll taken in -October, 57 percent of people said the economy was the top issue. Only 9 percent stated terrorism, and 7 percent stated the Iraq war. [1] It feels like we are light years away from the 2004 election. The New York Times carried more extensive coverage of the Iraqi elections in 2005 than statewide contests in the United States. Its obvious people aren’t worried about Islamic fascism, when they can’t keep their jobs, stay in their homes and can’t afford to pay for healthcare. It’s amazing to me that when we’re in such a terrifying crisis that affects all Americans and we see the stocks dip a little lower each day, how much we forget about abortion, immigration and other social issues. Do Americans even know that our State Department recently dropped North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terror? A year ago this would’ve been HUGE, now Americans are more threatened by Wall Street than Kim Jong Il or Osama Bin Laden. Do Americans realize that the Taliban is becoming stronger, security is deteriorating, troops are needed and the drug trade is flourishing? This forgotten war is just as important as the Iraqi war. Both candidates have stated that Afghanistan is important but pay no attention to it.
It seemed that only a few months ago our country was obsessed with National Security, but its remarkable to see how we focus on a certain issue when it is so prevalent to every American. Joe Biden last week opened his running mate to attacks by saying that Obama will be tested in the first months of their presidency by the world. Very silly, not only does this give the McCain camp new life but also scares Americans. National security issues are the only ones in which McCain continues to hold a sizeable polling advantage over Obama. Reminding the American people that there are people in the world that don’t like us very much is not a good strategy on Biden’s part. If McCain wants to close the gap between him and Obama he should focus on the economy but also remind Americans that his opponent has very little foreign policy experience and make them remember that we should never ignore the War on Terror. It seems like its too little, too late for the McCain camp on this issue, as their window to build on national security is far gone. It was only four years ago that suburban white mothers voted heavily for Bush because of his strength on national security. McCain could have won this electorate and many whites who are concerned about the economy and national security. It would just take a little campaigning on McCain’s part to remind voters we face threats from terrorism abroad and at home with the economy. The Arizona senator missed out on a huge opportunity to close up the polls. What matters is that whoever is elected, does not ignore our War on Terror and continue to protect Americans and continue the seven years that we have been out of harm’s way.
[1] http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/750zsnqo.asp
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