Over a year ago, I wrote a piece entitled “The Next American Crusade: The U.S. Military Campaign in Africa”. The piece chronicled the slow drip of American assets, contractors and troops into the continent of Africa. It illustrates the absolute lack of preparedness our forces had for dealing with anything on the continent of Africa. Remember that since this piece our military forces have been cut. There was the Sequester and other permanent reductions in troop levels. Basically, we are probably less prepared than we were then. The west, especially the United States, has scant knowledge of the continent of Africa, African cultures, African history and African language.
Politicians of every ilk are approaching the situation with trepidation. While there is an understandable urge for compassion, one cannot deny the lethality of a possible Ebola outbreak in an American city. Allowing anyone from these countries into the U.S. without a reasonable amount of quarantine time is unconscionable as a U.S. President. Simply checking Passports would not be profiling or racism, but keeping Americans alive. This is part of Obama’s Constitutional oath. Despite his globalist predilections and desire for the U.S. to be more international, much like domestic politics, his obligations change at the water’s edge.
Nothing I write or wrote can explain why this President or this Administration feels that now is the time to make Africa a top priority. Millions of people die in Africa every year from hunger, a lack of water, bad sanitation and other diseases like cholera. The idea of a U.S. President acting now is perplexing. President Obama’s regular allies are torn between dogmatic support and something a skin to a puppy listening to a child howl. They look at their owner, turn their head and just don’t know what to do.
It is a dichotomous challenge. The liberal in me hopes that the Great Leader simply hopes to help people. Maybe with American power and money we can save the continent. The conservative in me sees a globalist attempting to equalize transnational problems by introducing a disease to Texas and making it an American problem. The aspirational angel on one should and the realist Marine on the other, I too am perplexed. Then, I remember. The last time I believed in this President I liked my plan and thought I could keep it.
