CapitalistMarks

Is President Obama allowed to change his mind? I sure hope so!

Posted on 16. Oct, 2009 by scott in political munglings

Last weekend I read an interesting article by Charles Krauthammer in The Deseret News.  The article ‘Is winning the Afghan war still a necessity for Obama’ was a syndicated editorial and well written as usual.  However, though I normally like Krauthammer’s opinions both in print or on the occasion he sits in on a panel or interview on TV — this time I was disappointed.  He proposes the wrong way to think about change by our Chief Executive.

The point he made is that President Obama seems to change his own opinions over time.  The war in Afghanistan is where he focused–  pointing out that less than two months ago President Obama declared the war to be “a war of necessity.”  Of course Obama no longer seems to be following that declaration and Krauthammer closed with these words — ‘Does anything he (Obama) says remain operative beyond the fading of the audience applause?’

Well, I hope not.

We certainly don’t need a President who refuses to change his mind in the face of changing circumstances, contradictory facts, or additional information that has come to light.  And, we really don’t need another President like our most recent ex-President . . . who held to the ‘party’ line regardless of new facts or added information.  He and his minions (the likes of Rumsfeld and Cheney) apparently believed that war and military might were the answer to all problems and they acted on that premise — always it seems.  Jeez Louise, did we, as a nation, ever pay for their intransigence.

I am glad that Obama seems willing to change his mind and perhaps even ‘our’ strategy in Afghanistan (or on any other topic I hope) when he learns more than he knew at the time of making an original statement. Life is, after all, about change and reacting to it.

Today, we desperately need a President (and other leaders as well) who are willing to listen to those who know more about a subject than they do and then filter it all appropriately and make a change if it is needed. They need to be influenced by other’s facts and opinions — and any effort to this end is worthwhile.

We do NOT need someone who holds fearlessly (and often idiotically) to a position that proves to be not only wrong but dangerous.  Afghanistan may well be such a case.  I do not know what the answer to that war is . . . but I am learning to making big changes as I have written about before (see here).

I really appreciate Krauthammer’s previous efforts at helping us understand various issues.  He is usually a voice of reason in a sea of tempers and tantrums.  But, I hope he comes to learn that changing one’s mind is a privilege and a duty– and that he reconsiders his view on the article mentioned.

Let’s welcome beneficial change in ALL its manifestations.

thanks to flickr’s the truth about for the photo

Tags: afghanistan, charles krauthammer, President Obama