Obama not responsible for US decline

Jeffrey Kuhner’s claim (in the Washington Times 2-5-2010 "America's Suicide Attempt") that our nation is losing its superpower status as a result of Obama Administration policy is laughable. Attributing our “soaring deficits, economic stagnation, appeasement of radical Islam and revolutionary socialism” simply to “Mr. Obama’s policies” misses the role that Republican Presidents, other Democratic Presidents and conservative policies played in dragging down our status.
If Mr. Kuhner is serious about stopping our nations “decline” “into a second-tier nation”, he will have to dismount from his conservative ideological horse and look at the facts.
The greatest decline in US leadership in the world is more the result of global economic growth elsewhere as increasingly powerful and profitable technologies spread and corporate profits take priority over social essentials like health and education. Our decline is not as nearly as great as the rise in China, India, Brazil, the EU and other adapting nations in blending both capitalist and socialist policies.
Conservative views that “government is the problem”, “education is a family issue”, “Market forces are the answer”, “peace through strength” and “we aren’t the world’s policeman” are far more responsible for our decline in security than Obama policies or liberal ideals.
Government has its inefficiencies but it is of “we the people”. We have the government we deserve. For too long most Americans (liberals, conservatives and independents) have been too comfortable and unwilling to sacrifice and make the wise investments needed for preventive measures that would keep our nation on top.
Market forces didn’t wean us from our dependence on foreign oil as we often used abusive US foreign policies to maintain our addiction. An addiction that ultimately enriched those whom our policies abused.
Spending trillions of dollars on the most powerful and competent military force in the world didn’t stop a handful of foreign extremists from mass murdering 3000 Americans, frightening us into rearranging our government, and exposing our suicidal reliance on conservative championed unilateral US policies.
Conservative distrust of government run schools, science curriculum and health care programs helped lower our standard in science, technology, languages, and understanding of foreign cultures as well as weakening our defenses against pandemics or bioterror attacks which are by far the greatest and most immediate threats to our national security.
It was conservative abandonment of our highest ideal – the ‘rule of law’ - intended by our founding fathers for dealing with all of God’s souls - that led some US leaders and individuals to using torture, assassinations and an unlawful invasion that ultimately empowered extremist ideologies. Criminal ideologies that ultimately only the ‘rule of law’ can defeat.
It is our fear that most empowers our enemies. Without keeping faith in our highest ideal - the rule of law – with liberty and justice for all – and making adequate investments in the health and education of ‘we the people” our nation will continue to slide.