War

"The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists."

Ernest Hemingway, The Next War

With all the economic problems I mentioned on Monday that need to be addressed, why then is Obama headed to War? 

Hubris. 

The Collins Dictionary defines Hubris this way:

hubris [ˈhjuːbrɪs], hybris
n
1. pride or arrogance
2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition, pride, etc., ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin

In the ancient Greek tragedies the person with hubris was often a bully, attacking the weak because it gives him pleasure, or a feeling of power. It was almost sexual in nature. 

Most politicians, of almost any variety, seem to fit this profile. 

Another reason for war is the "short victorious war" idea. This was first expressed by Russian Prime Minister Vlad Plevhe. The Russians figured that Japan was an easy target in 1904. They were wrong and they lost the war. Obama has this idea that the war with Syria will be an obvious victory for US forces. This is probably correct, probably. 

The benefits to the US seem to me at least to far outweigh the risks. Obama is weak, but his hubris will not allow him to appear weak, so he must attack, even if the US attacks alone. (Humorously, the French seem to be on board as Hollande has his own domestic problems. Maybe we need to change the name of freedom fries back to french fries.) 

War is in your future. In fact, since I wrote this post last Friday, it may already have started by now. (It is Sunday now as I do the final edit, it looks like we will get a congressional vote.)

Get ready for the long term consequences.