Time for America to Stop Playing the Fool

The killing of Osama bin Laden has brought new information to light, and I'm not talking about the many files we confiscated from the compound where he was hiding. I'm talking about our relationship with Pakistan and how it coincides with everything else that has been happening to our great country as of late.

If there is one thing we have learned from this historic incident, it is that we can no longer afford to trust Pakistan. In short, it's time for America to stop playing the fool.

In my opinion, this is the issue that has helped Donald Trump garner unprecedented media attention over the last month and rise to the top of the polls for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Trump is capitalizing on the anger so many Americans are feeling toward the rest of the world at the moment. China manipulates their currency and takes our jobs, while millions of Americans are out of work. OPEC raises oil prices and makes a fortune, while Americans continue to get crushed by exorbitant fuel prices. And now, it's crystal clear that Pakistan has been accepting billions of dollars in aid from the United States to fight the war on terror, only to be hiding bin Laden in a compound near one of their military bases for the last several years.

If you believe they didn't know he was there, then I've got a bridge to sell you. If you believe Hilary Clinton when she says that Pakistan helped us in locating him, then you're a sad fool. The Pakistani government is full of liars from top to bottom, and their intelligence service (the ISI) is laced with corruption. We cannot trust them going forward, and it's time we sever our ties and fight our own battles with the terrorists on their terrain. It may be an affront to their sovereignty, but the safety of our citizens is far more important.

I can't wait to hear what Trump has to say when the dust settles. My guess is that he'll let the world know that if he were president, he'd demand that Pakistan pay back the billions of dollars in aid we gave to them, plus interest. He'll say that he'd call them out on what they did, refuse to have any future dealings with their government, and give India the green light to do whatever they need to do in their perpetual conflict with their archenemy. And you know what? He'd be right.

Our country holds all the cards as the world's dominant superpower. Yes, we're deep in debt and still suffering the effects of the worst economic crisis since The Great Depression. Yes, our military is maybe a bit overstretched as the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya continue. But we are still number one, and we need to capitalize on our status for the sake of the well-being of our nation.

There is absolutely no question that President Obama will get a big bump in the polls as a result of bringing bin Laden to justice. The same thing happened to President George H.W. Bush in 1991, after the United States made quick work of Saddam Hussein's elite forces in the first Gulf War. But we all remember what happened in 1992. The economy went south, and soon people forgot about Bush's victory in Iraq. Winning the Gulf War was not enough to carry him, as Bill Clinton claimed victory in the presidential election.

The same could happen to Obama next year. I really don't think that getting bin Laden will be enough to put him over the top in 2012. The polls show that Americans are increasingly disapproving of his economic policies, so unless the economy turns around, he will remain a vulnerable target.

It will be interesting to see if he implements any changes in our relations with Pakistan. Do you think Americans will be angry that Pakistan has been taking billions of dollars from us and laughing at us behind our backs? You know, the same Americans who are out of work, paying four dollars a gallon for gas, and struggling just to get by? Hmm...maybe just a little.

I will admit that the unity our country is experiencing during this joyous time is a welcome change from the bitter bipartisanship that has ruled Washington over the past several months. But let's face it: the love we're all feeling for each other will be short-lived. It's only a matter of time before our government gets back to work on the debt ceiling debate and the 2012 budget battle.

And that, my friends, is where we need to start getting serious and stop playing the fool. Enough is enough. We can't continue going down the road to financial ruin and allow the rest of the world to get rich off of us. There's little doubt that this will be the key to the 2012 presidential election. In the end, the winner will be the one who convinces the American people that he will no longer allow other countries to take advantage of us. He'll be the one who the people believe will take care of our own. He'll be the one who they believe will lead us back to prosperity, and once again make us the envy of all nations. I don't know who that person will be. But I am quite certain of one thing: he will not be Barack Hussein Obama.