Faint, Distant Voices

There sure seems to be a lot of wisdom flowing freely to Obama and his new team regarding fixes for the economy, job creation, recession mitigation, bail out regulation, health care, energy and priority setting.

Interestingly, almost nothing I have read, in the few days after the election, vigorously addresses military strategy. As people loose their jobs and their homes, the war in Iraq, seems almost too much to handle, and thus has fallen a few notches on the "what's important to me" scale. This is unsettling to me, as it uncovers an inward focus vs a broad perspective, but given the real pain and mounting worry people are feeling, I guess it is understandable.

I was equally surprised and disappointed to see very few reports on the reaction of our American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the election, and Obama's victory. I would have liked to hear more from our troops on the front line...Their perspective is pretty important. I would hate to have our military volunteers feel unnoticed or insignificant while they are risking their lives, following orders and potentially not fully understanding their purpose in this "war". Their voices should be heard just as loudly and as clearly as those in Grant Park. While I was watching the election coverage, I did not see one split screen depicting the reaction of Americans in a war zone along side the reaction of Americans in their comfort zone - standing on American soil. It is profoundly important to feel proud and protected as a citizen of America, especially when you are away from your country. These kids, fighting in this ridiculous war, are vessels of American patriotism. We should be checking in with them, while our new commander in chief is being elected.

Its a small but powerful gesture that I think we failed to make.

I hope and urge one of our news organizations to get back to covering this, it needs to be elevated again.