President of peace or war?

Will America pick a president of peace or war?
Ghazal Omid
ReligionAndSpirituality.com
February 4, 2008

The process of picking a president has become so lengthy, most Americans wait until Super Tuesday to choose whom to vote for. Sort of like the Friday after Christmas when everything is on sale and you take what is left. Smart shoppers know that just because there is a line for something or someone, that doesn't means it is worth buying or voting for!

On Super Tuesday, Americans will not just pick potential candidates for the White House but a president to represent them to the world; an executive to lead them in the current economic crisis and who will impact the lives of billions of people around the world.

President Jimmy Carter, disliked by many Americans, was despised by Iranians. His decision to not support the Shah has impacted the future of Iran for three decades, shifted the course of world history and left a terrible legacy for the United States. Because of that one mistake, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power, influence shifted from Iran to Saddam Hussein before returning to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his successors such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian regime starves its own people as it gives money disguised as "charity" to Hezbollah and Hamas. Carter's lack of understanding of the Middle East prompted him to take a gigantic leap of faith in the wrong direction.

To America, he seemed to be the man with fresh ideas, a man of change. He even had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House, personally overseeing the process to ensure they were oriented in the right direction. To his credit, he became a champion of environmental causes. Tragically, his monumental mistake — for which he is most remembered — changed the course of history, causing more death and destruction in the Middle East than he will admit.

If Americans had been more careful to pick the right guy rather than the softer guy with a smile, perhaps America would not now be a tired giant who deserves a rest from policing the world.

Foreign policy is not a course to be learned in office. The president needs to know it before getting there and he needs to understand that not everything American will work in the Middle East and not every military move means a victory.

Judging from the last couple of days of the 2008 election campaign, the Republican Party seems to be on the verge of making another mistake; one this party will never forget and from which it will not recover.

John McCain is called a maverick because he is stubborn about doing it his way and was able to resuscitate his campaign. Being stubborn is a dangerous trend for a president, particularly one with a military background.

He speaks softly, usually, which seems to appeal to a lot of people, who think his controlled domineering passion gives him the look of a man in charge. Scientifically speaking, individuals in their senior years tend to become calmer, and his lack of political passion will be a nightmare for those who dreamed of change in the White House. Analysis of his tone of voice suggests his type become followers; great for his wife perhaps, but not a good quality in a president, especially when his vice president will be Rudolph Giuliani.

Occupying the White House is a physically demanding, 24/7 job. McCain says, optimistically, that at age 71, he is ready to meet that demand. He is a veteran politician, trained to have answers for everything. In reality, while he may have been training for a marathon, he is about to enter a triathlon.

He knows when to say what, and that is why he has been picked by Giuliani, himself a smart "Washington"-type guy that average Americans dislike. A month ago, he did not even know McCain, who was not in his class socially; now they are best friends.

Giuliani lost his chance of winning the nomination, not for lack of money or advertising but over moral issues with conservatives and his questionable financial relationship with the Emir of Qatar, a smart businessman who latched onto one of the top Republicans in America. What does that say about Giuliani? He boasts about 9/11 and being a fighter against terrorism. Forget the intelligence reports; has Giuliani even Googled the Emir to discover his relationship with Ahmadinejad?

The Emir is one of the Iranian regime's closest allies in the Persian Gulf. If Qatar's relationship with Iran does not give Giuliani pause, his claim of Champion Terrorism Fighter smacks of a bogus tactic to get himself on the ballot. Actions speak louder than words, and based on the money he is being paid by the same people he calls terrorists, his actions are deafening.

Giuliani is a gambler, interested not in what is best for America but what is in it for him. Now that his strategy in the Florida primary did not work, he has thrown in with McCain, obviously with an eye on the vice presidency.

My condolences to those Republicans who disliked George W. Bush's policies. Welcome to the new Bush — I am sorry, I meant McCain/ Giuliani presidency.

If you were alarmed by Bush's relieving Iraq from its misery by removing a brutal dictator by force, wait until you see a commander in chief who not only speaks openly as a soldier but also lies on national television. MSNBC analyzed John McCain's words after the Republican debate when he famously said, "If we have to stay in Iraq 100 years, we will." On Jan. 31, 2008, he denied saying that.

If Republicans thought John Kerry was a flip-flopper, shouldn't they be doing the same about John McCain?

There is an expression in Farsi that may help America know who is who. "Those who lie a lot also forget a lot."


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Ghazal Omid is a Shiite Islam scholar and author of the book "Living in Hell," an account of life in Iran as seen through the eyes of a woman. She is an advocate for human rights and especially women's issues in Islam, and is working on two books on political issues related to Islam and the religious foundations for Islamic law. Visit her website www.ghazalomid.com or www.theislam101.com for a discussion of issues in contemporary Islam. Her email address is Ghazal@ghazalomid.com. © Copyright 2008 by Ghazal Omid.