Posted on 11/03/2006 2:44:07 PM PST by Signalman
I love the picture that now sits atop our blog. Judging by reader reaction, tens of thousands of you feel the same way. I love it not just because it’s funny and not just because it lacerates John Kerry (two things that I highly value), but because of what it literally shows: Our fighting men in Iraq, their high spirits much more intact than those of their countrymen in Cambridge and Berkeley - we know they’ll do what it takes to defend this great land. I love the picture because I love them. I love what they do, and I love what they represent.
Even if you’re not a particularly close reader of this blog, you probably know that there’s an election coming up on Tuesday. We’ve written a lot about that election here for one reason – we think it’s incredibly important.
As the photo above reminds us, we’re a country at war. Even if we could grant the cut-and-run caucus its fondest wish and remove our presence from Iraq on November 8, we would still be a country at war. The sad fact is there are millions of very dangerous people who loathe us and intend us great harm.
One can make arguments that the administration should have prosecuted the war differently. On the right side of our political spectrum, there is currently a spirited debate regarding the quality of the Bush administration’s efforts, Donald Rumsfeld’s value, troop levels in Iraq and what to do about Iran, Syria and North Korea.
But what you don’t see on the political right or in the Republican Party is denial. You don’t see a childish worldview that American withdrawal will make us safe. You see a grim if often unstated acknowledgement of our distressing reality – we’re in for a long war, and there will be a lot more blood spilled on all sides before it is done.
On the Democratic side, all you see is a blissful lack of awareness of that reality. Whenever you hear a Democratic politician whine for the involvement of the global community or some other simplistic claptrap plan that will purportedly bring an instant end to the world’s turmoil, you’re seeing the evidence of spoiled-brat thinking that holds that even the most intractable problems can be solved easily and painlessly. Were it only so. Even if the Democrats don’t realize it, we’re all going to have to roll up our sleeves and get dirty before this war is won.
They are not just wrong, but dangerously misguided. Iran doesn’t want peace. The Syrian Baathists don’t want peace. The fundamentalist terror groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah don’t want peace. Nor does the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt or millions of fanatical Salafists in Saudi Arabia. We have a lot of malefactors out there, and they’re not going to be mollified by a “more sensitive” war on terror.
We can only wish denial was the modern left’s biggest problem. They actually believe that America mid-wifed terrorism and Radical Islam. They view America as the bad guy and American actions as the deus ex machina that made the world the dangerous place it is today. You can try to talk such people out of their views by pointing to the Muslim Brotherhood of the Saudi Salafists who have had global dreams of conquest before George W. Bush came out of the oil fields. But that just confuses them – they’ve never heard of either entity and thus figure they surely don’t matter.
You can then try to reduce the argument to the simple facts that the first attack on the World Trade Center, the bombing of the embassies, the attack on the Cole and 9/11 all happened before the current Iraq war. But even that doesn’t register. Such is their mindset that they refuse to let go of the mindset that America caused its own problems.
In a way, this mindset serves them as a security blanket of sorts. Their simplistic logic holds that if American actions caused all our problems, then a reversal of course could make all those problems vanish. Thus, they focus on a the evils of the “Rethuglicans”, which is surely a more pleasant mental exercise than picturing what we’re actually going to have to go through before this country and the world are safe.
I BEGAN THIS ELECTION CYLCE if not in the Ponnorru school of thought at least sympathetic to it. The last six years have been a disappointment in many ways, and our party needs to get better and sharper. I don’t think there’s much debate about that.
But what the Democratic Party has transformed itself into leaves us little choice but to crawl over broken glass on Tuesday if necessary to pull the lever for Republicans. The Democrats have made it clear to their supporters that they will use whatever power they accumulate to attack domestic demons. At this point in history, we can’t afford to have such misguided and unserious people in charge of anything consequential.
It’s all something of a shame. If you read the leftwing blogs, you know they’ve got hate by the boatload. It’s too bad that hate can’t be channeled at the people who hate them back, the ones screaming for Jihad and pining for their deaths.
Does anyone have a high res copy of the "pic"? I want to print it out and take it to work.
I second that sediment! I've already voted here in WA State, straight R, not that it'll really matter here because of all of the nutjobs on the coast. I'm praying for a miracle, and that Cantwell gets to go home and twiddle her thumbs in January.
Good column!
"The Picture" is now one more reason for Kerry to hate the military. I don't think he ever needed much encouragement but between the swift boat veterans and "The Picture", he must simply be stomping his feet in frustration.
I think some of these articles should be emailed to as many friends who are still confused and on the fence as possible, so perhaps some other voices than your own can beat some truth into their heads.
As a lifelong, but now recovering Democrat, I hope to God the Republicans win on tuesday!
Kerry better not stamp his feet TOO hard or he'll "earn" himself another Purple Heart!
My husband and I will be out voting for the GOP on November 7 with great pride!
Thanks!!!!!
I would like to add that I have nothing but contempt for anyone who thinks of themselves as a conservative who would vote for a Democrat or by omission (i.e. voting third party or abstaining from voting) allow a Democrat to be elected.
Ditto!
How often do we get a chance to pull a lever and depress the Dimms and the MSM by standing up for our President, our nation and our troops? If we turn out...Tuesday's going be a great day!
I voted here in Iowa today, straight R.
Big race is for Governor, the Republican is Jim Nussle, who was Chairman of the House Budget committee.
Not much choice in Congressmen, mostly liberal Republicans, in my district the very liberal Jim Leach. I voted for though. 11th commandment,
already voted, straight R, now phone banking hours every day to pile up some more :-)
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