Obama And Romney Are Staying Quiet On Afghanistan

Lacking Options, Romney Keeps Silent on Afghanistan -- Andrew Exum, World Politics Review

Over the past several weeks, a series of articles have noted the absence of any discussion of the Afghanistan War in the U.S. presidential campaign. President Barack Obama might be avoiding the subject, but for better or worse, his policy is a matter of record. By contrast, GOP candidate Mitt Romney has yet to articulate an Afghanistan policy.

Of course, it shouldn’t strike anyone as curious that the Romney campaign is as reluctant to talk about Afghanistan as the Obama administration. After all, the war is terribly unpopular. The administration has apparently determined the safest thing to do politically is to chart a course toward withdrawal and otherwise pretend the United States does not still have tens of thousands of soldiers and Marines fighting a determined enemy on a daily basis. For its part, the Romney campaign has decided that criticizing the administration for not showing enough resolve in its prosecution of the war, thereby implying that Romney would prolong or increase the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan, is too politically risky. As a result, Romney has largely remained silent on the issue.

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My Comment: It is not only the candidates who are quiet, but also the media, Congress, pundits, academia, anti-war protestors, etc.. To me this silence is very revealing .... it reveals the power that the political establishment has in framing the issues that should be covered by the media (and everyone else), and why alternative voices have a tough time getting their message heard.