Saturday, December 29, 2007

Stand Up, Take Responsibility, Be An Adult

In kindergarten if I pulled on someones pig tales I would have to take responsibility for my actions. In elementary school if i did not do my homework I would own up to my actions and take responsibility. In high when I threw a party that got out of hand and was busted by my folks, I stood up and took responsibility.  At work, if I dropped the ball on a project or forgot to relay a message I would take responsibility for my mistake. My whole life I have been taught by parents, teachers, employeers and friends that I am responsible for my actions, and that when I fail, slip up, or make a mistake it is I that takes responsibility.

Yet what baffles me is that the people we entrust with the most responsibilites in this country don't seem to think that they have to be accountable for their actions, at all.  One person in particular that comes to mind is L Paul Bremer. He was appointed by President Bush in 2003 to take over for Gen. Jay Garner in overseeing the reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Iraq. Well, it does not take a genius to see that he has received an F in these matters. Yet, there is no apology or acceptance of any wrong doing on his part, what so ever.

In a new documentary entitled No End In Sight a disturbing picture of his actions paints out that he was a neglectful and unqualified person for the job. Declining to be interviewed for the film, the film makers managed to find one video interview of Bermer on CNN. When pressed with a tough question the, "I can't recall" answer was the only thing that came to Bremer's mind. Come on bub, don't play stupid, that excuse did not work on my parents and it aint going to work on me.

This is just one person in a long list of people who should be accountable for their actions. I mean, the clerk at the grocery store has to account for every penny that comes through his register, you would hope that the same rules apply to someone like lets say the President.

Here is a good time line of how we as America dropped the ball in possibly curbing the amount of violence we are now seeing in Iraq. Who knows what could have been, but I do feel that Bremer's actions have coast us dearly. And who is going to take responsibility? Those who have lost their lives, and the unfortunate others that will follow. 

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