Impeach Obama Sticker

I saw a sticker on the back of a small pickup the other day that said: Impeach Obama. I am not an Obama fan, in fact, I am a staunch Bush supporter. However, this sticker made me angry. It made me angry for the simple fact that it seemed a petty response to all the Impeach Bush stickers that were plastered on to every Prius and Honda during Bush's presidency. I felt those were petty too.

During the course of President Bush's last term, I spoke to a decent number of liberals who were simply misinformed yet stuck to their anti-conservative convictions. None of them could produce substantial proof about what they believed, and believe me, I asked them for it, even pleaded for it. Only one complied, a vending machine business owner and part time physical education teacher who claimed to be a millionaire. I looked at the links he sent me, and found them filled with rhetoric and propaganda that accentuated and twisted the facts to lead the reader to a certain conclusion. I also researched some of the claims made about 9-11, such as the fiction about the Royal Saudi family being allowed to fly on that day, and found it to be completely untrue. With all that in mind, anti-W sentiment was out of place and petty. But the Impeach Obama sticker seems even more petty seeing that Obama has done nothing yet to warrant impeachment, and I don't think he will.

Both impeachment stickers are unnecessary and slanderous, but the sticker calling for Obama's impeachment seems even worse to me because it is so obviously a retaliatory comment aimed at all the anti-Bush stickers that littered bumpers throughout the west coast during the Bush presidency. Revenge is not a proper motivation for change, just as one generally shouldn't find another job just because he doesn't like the conditions of the first. Any move you make should be about improving and changing things for the better. And this is the inherent flaw with the liberal movement: it is a hatred for conservative values that motivates and galvanizes save-the-Earth types. You think I'm being ridiculous? Then why is Obama flying around to undo all of the hard work the Bush administration put in to defend America and identify and encourage its allies? Apologizing to the world for President Bush's mistakes is the wrong approach. If change is truly desired, shouldn't we be focusing on positives instead of negatives? President Obama also destroyed the ban on stem cell research. In contrast, I remember Bush stating at the beginning of his first term that he would not undo what the Clinton administration had accomplished. To me, that is a sign of forward thinking. And that is exactly why an Impeach Obama sticker is completely wrong. Our goal should not be tit for tat, an eye for an eye, but to smooth the way for our elected leaders, whether they agree with our politics or not.

To make my point, I criticize Obama's decisions when apt, but I also take note of the good things he is doing for this country. One such thing is ending the stop-loss program. Sending volunteer soldiers back for an additional tour or more when they have served the time they signed on for is completely wrong. If we have to do that to keep the numbers up, we should instead bolster recruiting, make every effort to draw in more volunteers. If that fails, it is time to institute the draft. That is fair. It is not necessarily smart, since from a tactical point of view, it is better to use people who are not only skilled but also experienced and will be more likely to survive. However, the decision should be left up to them and incentives should be offered.

Although I was saddened that McCain lost the race, I was also encouraged that America could elect a black president. There is absolutely nothing wrong with white men as presidents, but blacks in America generally feel oppressed and like second class citizens, and seeing Obama in the White House brings them a great step closer to feeling that they belong and are a part of the fabric of America. This is why our criticisms should be thoughtful and only voiced when necessary. We ought to be working together to improve this country as much as we are able to find common ground, and planting an Impeach Obama sticker to your bumper does little to make that happen.