The Huffington Post’s Arianne Huffington makes an excellent case today that Vice President Joe Biden should resign if President Obama decides to escalate in Afghanistan. Biden is said to be in firm opposition to this escalation.
Huffington writes, “What he must not do is follow the same weak and worn-out pattern of “opposition” we’ve become all-too-accustomed to, first with Vietnam and then with Iraq. You know the drill: after the dust settles, and the country begins to look back and not-so-charitably wonder, “what were they thinking?” the mea-culpa-laden books start to come out.”
She stresses that “Biden would then become the natural leader of the movement to wind down this disastrous war and focus on the real dangers in Pakistan.”
Huffington makes an excellent case for Biden to take the drastic step. However, I disagree with her and I hope Biden does too. I have written several times that President Obama needs courageous opposition within his inner circle, not just to advance opposition views but to make sure the President understands these views. He might have saved himself from from difficult situations in the past (Van Jones) and avoid those in the future.
The President should understand that those that disagree with his positions are not necessarily bad. The President needs to listen, and if that means Biden stays, then Biden needs to do what is best for the country and stay.
