McGovern to Obama: Call 'Time-Out on War'

George McGovern would like to take the “war” out of the war on terror. The 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, writing in the Washington Post, cautions President Obama against diving headlong into Afghanistan, a battleground that has broken two empires already. “Let me suggest a truly audacious hope for your administration,” he offers. “How about a five-year time-out on war?”

Some wars are necessary, but McGovern argues that war isn't an effective response to terrorism: "The hatred of US policies in the Middle East that drives the terrorist impulse against us would better be resolved by ending our military presence." With the money saved, we could buy food for every school-aged child in Afghanistan. "It would cost a small fraction of warfare's cost, but it might well be a stronger antidote to terrorism.” (More George McGovern stories.)