PrintJune 12, 2007
The Democrats' Betrayal
The Democrats and their media poodles have proudly and publicly sabotaged the Iraq War effort since the beginning. This is not just a guess, but a clear and visible fact, openly celebrated by the Left.
The Left ululates noisily over every American death --- though not over the thousands of innocent civilians who are regularly blown up by Al Qaida in Iraq. But they never bother to ask, "What was that US Soldier risking his life for?" They don't want us to be reminded. They want us to think US Soldiers are fools.
Well, Soldiers tend to fight for their buddies. But they also know a lot more about war aims on the ground. And their own experience with Iraqis is repeatedly expressed in George W. Bush's terms: We are fighting to liberate Iraq, to protect ourselves from the murderous zealots of Al Qaida and Iran, and to extend simple decency to a region that has known nothing but bloody pathology for centuries.
Are we fighting for oil? Oil is the key to the well-being of five billion people in the modern world. Are we protecting Israel? Yes indeed, Israel and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and ungrateful Europe, America and Japan (which is almost entirely dependent on foreign oil). Those are the vital interests of civilized countries today. All those aims are entirely consistent with mainstream American foreign policy since Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Truman and Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, Nixon (yes!) and Reagan.
It is only the Boomer Left that decided in its greater wisdom that the United States can let the world go to hell by itself. The Boomer Lefties are the disgraceful exception to the American rule, while the Soldiers who are fighting and sacrificing in Iraq are solidly in our historical mainstream. We should all be endlessly grateful for that.
Senator John Edwards has been accusing Rudy Giuliani of "playing on our fears" in talking about the terrorist threat.
Let's see, six years ago Mayor Giuliani saw the mighty World Trade Towers come crashing down in his city. "Only" three thousand innocent New Yorkers died in that assault, but the towers were filled with tens of thousands who just managed to get out --- thanks to the heroism of NYC firefighters and police, almost 500 of whom gave their lives.
I would call that a terrifying event, Senator Edwards, and Rudy Giuliani was directing the city's response from the front line.
We know that Al Qaida fanatics keep trying to make it happen again. But John' Edwards thinks it's all lies; he's airbrushed his version of American history, just like he constantly tries to airbrush his own public image. Edwards thinks that global warming and the plight of the poor are the really big dangers facing Americans. But it is Senator Edwards himself who is the cynical fearmonger. He constantly tries to fill every sucker in America with fear that they are helpless without him and his fellow Democrats. This in the wealthiest nation on earth, and the one with the greatest opportunities for people to rise out of poverty. That is why millions of people aspire to come here.
The Left constantly attempts to evade the clear and present danger facing us today, for fear that Americans will elect the other party. They are therefore terrifyingly selfish at a time of national danger. They delusionally want to go back to the Clinton years, when terrorism seemed only a distant rumor, at least to the blind and ignorant.
But Islamic fascists may not play along with that flimsy fantasy. In fact, Al Qaida is cheering on the willful stupidity of our leftwingers, promising to renew their attacks on the United States as soon as Democrats accept defeat in Iraq.
The question is whether the voters will be seduced by the Left and its media poodles. The illusion of safety is always tempting, and the very success of Bush's anti-terror policies creates a temporary paradise for fools.
Today, the two parties present a clear survival choice. On the GOP side all the candidates are adults. They deal with the facts, each in his own way, but every one with a solid record of competence and strength. Fred Thompson, Rudi Giuliani, Mitt Romney, the others. Republicans can complain (rightly) about a lot of things, but not about the general competence of our candidates. They stand head and shoulders above the Kids of the Left.
Obama and Hillary bring us only political gimmicks in a time when we need competence, character and strength. Neither one of them would be a political star but for their victim status: Hillary represents all the jilted women of America, and Obama has stooped to openly trying to whip up black anger to assure the Left that he is "really black."
The Bush Administration has wrestled faithfully with the immense challenges of a new kind of war against a lethal enemy, while being constantly sabotaged by bunkered Federal bureaucracies, the sniping Left and the media. In the upshot, President Bush has been about as successful as Harry S Truman was at the beginning of the Cold War. That is vital progress, but much remains to be done. Wars are always full of mistakes and close calls. The question is --- will we recognize and fix them? Do we have the dogged persistence to pursue our aims and win?
The next president will have to be damned good to keep the United States safe. There is no question that we can triumph in Iraq. The only doubt is whether we are sufficiently committed, at yet another supreme moment of testing -- and that comes down to inspirational leadership. We need another Great Communicator as president.
For great nations there are no easy breaks. There is no lasting "peace dividend." It's just one challenge after another. If we get tired of winning struggles, there are plenty of malevolent forces in the world that are ready to bring us down. Everybody guns for the top dog.
Robert MacFarlane just wrote in the Wall Street Journal about his Vietnam experience:
"The question remains ...: Should the Iraqis succeed in this crucial endeavor, how will it be reported? For the press this is yet another moment of truth. Will it continue to publish a distorted picture of this war as it did in Vietnam, and share responsibility for the same result? "
Well, we know the answer. The press and the Left are committed to defeat. But they no longer control the narrative. People like Michael Yon are instantly accessible The truth is out there for Americans to know.
So it all comes back to the Democrats, their running poodles in the media, and our vital need to capture the narrative of our time.
The election of 2008 will be the biggest test of our maturity as a nation since the 1950s. The question will be whether the USA can face difficult and dangerous facts, and lead the world in a better direction. As the world slowly comes around to our perception of the terror threat, with the election of Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Angela Merkel in Germany, we need to drive consistently forward until today's monsters are defeated. It's as simple as that, and as challenging. Will we have the guts and the vision to do it?
We don't know the answer. Look to 2008 to find out. Let no one forget what is at stake.
James Lewis blogs at http://www.dangeroustimes.wordpress.com/
