TEA WITH HITLER

New York Post ^ | 2/05/03 | RALPH PETERS

[kattracks]

February 5, 2003 -- NOTHING so reveals the bankruptcy of the European left as its reverence for Saddam Hussein. When we have reached the point at which a British lawmaker makes a pilgrimage to Baghdad to adore Saddam, paying the dictator more respect than he would show to America's president, the United States need no longer take European protests seriously.

[wretchard]

The entire war on terror is really a platform on which miniatures fight on behalf of larger forces pulling the strings from the shadows offstage. Just as the Spanish Civil War was not really so much between the Falange and the Reds as it was the opening act of World War 2, so too is the War on Terror is the prelude in the the wider War for Civilization.

Tony Benn represents the undefeated cultural force of Left, now in coalition with medieval Islam, ranged against the Western civilization. They do not believe in it: they have spent their entire lives destroying it. Now the War on Terror is crystallizing the battlelines as never before. Almost in despite of every institutional arrangment, it is splitting the EU, NATO and even the polity of the United States (red and blue zones) along these fault lines in a manner reminescent of the days before the American Civil War.

And the issues are just as profound. They revolve around the nature of man; the existence of truth and the value of freedom. The battle lines are still fuzzy, but they are rapidly taking shape as each finds the banner he trusts.

I guess our generation had thought the Great Questions had been settled: that we could just go to the mall or watch a ballgame; that the fire and smoke were behind us. We were wrong. Our generation will be tested as no other. May it come through the crucible with its soul and on to victory.

[happygrl]

A beautiful essay. Best I've read to this point on FR.

[dennisw]

Well said...and that's excluding the forces of heaven and hell from the equation. What "miniatures" are they controlling and influencing?

[stocksthatgoup]

When one has to defend the indefensible. All truth must be buried.

[unending thunder]

It is said that with age comes wisdom. Benn is 77, a tea drinking self publicist, ex MP, who left wisdom behind with his teeth.

Born, Lord Stansgate, he inherited and continues to live on great inherited wealth and has never done a days useful work in his life.

To his credit he has got off his backside and at least met SH (or one of his many alleged lookalikes) giving us all a rare chance to evaluate the "monster".

For myself, I gave up believing anything said by anybody about Iraq / SH / DPRK / US Oil interests/ Israeli objectives etc.,as I was brought up during the Suez "crisis" when it eventually became evident that the French / Israelis / UK were peddling lies of unbelievable magnitude to their electors ( and military leaders).

I see Larry King is going to interview Condoleeza re Colin's UN fireside chat today, complete with pictures and fuzzy sound. I predict it will be as informative and truth filled as Benn's cozying up to SH. However professor Rice is easier on the eye, even if we do have to put up with the visual interference caused by Mr King's bizarre choice of braces ( I think US dwellers call them suspenders).

Any way, a friend of mine, who has a relative married to someone in the US Force, who was on leave and at the Suoperbowl was sitting next to a guy who writes for the Chicago Sun who knows somebody who lives next door to a guy who was in Bagdhad once who says definitely Dubya told him kick off time was Feb 15th 0300 EST. Approximately. Give a month or two either way.

PS If this prediction proves incorrect, I will have a very satisfactory explanation why it isn't.

[nofriendofbills]

Excellent post. Pacifism is too often a cover for cowardice and that's the case with most of these protestors.
And yes it does give them a chance to pretend moral superiority.

[albee]

Re: Your Post #2

Excellent post!

[skinkinthegrass]

I Agree w/ Happygal

[metesky]

Excellent post.

[tictoc]

wretchard is something else, isn't (s)he?

He or she stands out even in a place that is so chock full with good writers as FreeRepublic.

Now don't let it go to your head, wretchard, you hear?

[KC_Conspirator]

Somewhere in his little niche in hell, Joesph Goebels is smiling because he knows his work continues with the likes of Benn.

[The_Macallan]

I saw the bit on 60 Minutes II last night.

They actually had a MidEast "expert" from some University giving a "play-by-play" commentary about how absurd Saddam's statements were.

I was shocked. There it was on 60 Minutes, they were slashing apart every piece of BS Saddam was spewing - and they actually ridiculed Benn himself - ON 60 MINUTES!!

The 60 Minutes journalist doing the report actually dismissed Benn as just another "lefty". My jaw hit the floor when I heard him call Benn a "lefty".

It's a bad sign for Iraq that not even 60 Minutes would try to spin the crap Saddam was spewing.

They also had a very positive interview with Powell after he gave his UN speech yesterday on the same show. Dan Blather let Powell make the case again has to how the UN as ALREADY authorized the use of force and how Saddam is ALREADY in material breach. Powell made a very good case again and Dan Blather didn't try taking any "Devil's Advocate" side.

Altogether, the piece-by-piece shredding of Saddam AND "Lefty" Benn as well as allowing Powell to CLEARLY show that Iraq is currently in material breech and that the UN voted back in November to allow use of force against him - this was quite a positive report for us going into Iraq.

.