Investors Business Daily editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez does what we expect from a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner — he boils down an issue into one brilliant image. Barack Obama has a decision to make, and it’s increasingly looking like the choice at this “Fork in the Road” comes down to whether Obama wants a Vietnam or an Iraq:
Obama appears to be wavering between redefining the goals downward while keeping the current troop levels or following the McChrystal request for a significant ramp-up of troops (as many as 40K) to meet his oft-stated goals of victory over both al-Qaeda and the Taliban. We did the latter in Iraq and succeeded, although it should be noted that we escalated constantly in Vietnam, too — but remained murky on the mission and its goals. The decision to be made is not so much the number of men but whether we want to retreat on the mission.
Ramirez has a terrific collection of his works: Everyone Has the Right to My Opinion, which covers the entire breadth of Ramirez’ career, and it gives a fascinating look at political history. Read my review here, and watch my interviews with Ramirez here and here. And don’t forget to check out the entire Investors.com site, which has now incorporated all of the former IBD Editorials, while individual investors still exist.
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