Friends and Foes Alike

Friends are fine but keep foes closer,
Said an ancient Chinese general.
President Obama’s poser?
How to change the downward spiral.
In a world where GIs perish,
Dollars drain and others view us
Not as partners once to cherish,
Rather as a global doofus.

Problem is: Al Quada’s vile;
Nine-Eleven burns forever.
Taliban brigades meanwhile
Burn down girls’ schools, vowing “never”.
Still, the Muhadeen, their forebears,
Rid Afghanistan of Russians,
Choppers caught in U.S. crosshairs.
Can’t we now at least give bludgeons?

Yes, they’re Sunnis—what are foes for
But to use, divide and conquer?
In Iraq it worked, so once more
Maybe it could save us rancor.