Cup of tea, anyone?

The last 24 hours have been a milestone in American history.  The Democrats, a party once in control of Congress that has spun the federal government out of control over the past two years, has lost the majority in the House of Representatives, the group elected to represent the people of the United States.  The balance of power has now shifted, making the two parties almost equal in Congress.  Incumbents that were once guaranteed their seats have now been voted out.  New candidates representing the "grassroots" movement set by the Tea Party have now made their way into Washington, going against the misguided practices of both parties and going back to the fundamentals that this nation was founded upon (or so they say).  The American people have sent a clear message to Washington: we are tired of our voices being silenced, and we want to take our country back.

Now on the flipside, what kind of message are the newly elected representatives sending to the American people?  It seems like the same blanket message across the airwaves; "I will help create more jobs for the nation.  I will turn the economy around.  I will vote to repeal the Obama health care plan.  I will bring America back."  Great statements that many Americans need to hear right now.  However, tonight I was watching Larry King, and I was shocked to see one of my favorite TV Game show hosts - Ben Stein!  At first, I was like, "why the hell is Ben Stein talking about politics on Larry King."  But as he began to speak, he brought up a vital point, one that I didn't realize until now: what about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?  Not one candidate that I saw mentioned anything about fighting the wars that this country is still very involved in.  Whether America wants to accept it or not, these wars are still real issues that we all face, and although there is a lot of hype in the media that things are getting better, they are only going to become worse if we stay the course that we are on.  We will continue to deploy troops to fight a battle that rages on, and with that comes more and more tax dollars to fund the resources needed for that mission.  Tax dollars?  Wait a minute - I thought the new Congress was all about putting money BACK into Americans' wallets.  How is this going to work?  Have any of them even taken a look at what's going on over there?

From being in that AO, I think the most important thing to do first is evaluate at every level what we are actually doing there.  What is the mission?  Who's in charge?  What are our resources going towards?  What can we realign?  Then the leadership can develop a more clear focus to communicate to all audiences.  It's already laid out in military doctrine: Commander's Intent, Purpose and Key Tasks, and End State.  Tell us what to do and give us A WAY to do it.  Soldiers need leadership, and families need re-assurance that their sons and daughters are in good hands.  Communicate that clearly to troops, families and constituents, and we'll actually have a sword to fight this dragon.

So, my question to the newly elected representatives is this: what are you going to do about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?