Posted on 11/22/2003 6:38:23 AM PST by knighthawk
In the early 1980s, when I had the privilege of serving on President Reagan's senior staff in the White House, my colleagues and I often felt like firemen rushing to put out the flames of this crisis or that. The problems often seemed daunting, their urgency great.
Sometimes when we felt overwhelmed, Reagan would say that when we are up to our elbows in alligators, it is hard to remember that we had come to Washington in order to drain the swamp.
The other day President Bush reminded us that America has a mission, an opportunity and a moral obligation to spread freedom. Iraq is part of that mission. And by advancing the march of freedom, America is rededicating itself to its core principles, helping millions of people, and in doing so making the world a better place and more secure for us.
In 1982, at Westminster Hall, Reagan said to the world, "Freedom is not the prerogative of the lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings." At the time, some sophisticates said he was naive. Perhaps, but he also was right.
I've spoken to men and women then shackled behind the Iron Curtain who have told me Reagan's words gave them hope, fortified their resolve, and helped them in their struggle to achieve democracy. Yes, American military might helped end the Cold War. But so did the transcendent ideas of freedom for which America stands. Now elected leaders in their own countries in Central and Eastern Europe, these men and women have told me that in their darkest hours America, the shining city on the hill, was vital to keeping their hopes alive.
In that tradition, the other day at the National Endowment for Democracy, Bush reminded us that, "We've witnessed, in little over a generation, the swiftest advance of freedom in the 2,500-year story of democracy." After World War II, America helped freedom and democracy come to Germany and Japan. After the Cold War, we helped bring freedom and democracy to Russia and Eastern Europe. These advances of freedom were not inevitable. They required great work and sacrifice, but it is a price worth paying.
As Bush said, "Freedom is worth fighting for, dying for, and standing for -- and the advance of freedom leads to peace."
Today the front lines for advancing freedom are in the Middle East, and the most pitched battle is in Iraq. Brave American men and women are serving on the front lines along with others from the coalition of the willing. In the tradition of American heroes throughout our history, they sacrifice to make the world more secure and to advance freedom.
President Bush properly pointed out that the "failure of Iraqi democracy would embolden terrorists around the world, increase dangers to the American people, and extinguish the hopes of millions in the region."
The struggle in Iraq is about building schools and hospitals. It is about restoring electricity and getting clean water flowing. It is about rooting out Saddam sympathizers and confronting terrorists. It is about securing the streets of Baghdad. And it is about advancing freedom.
In Iraq, America is up to its elbows in alligators. But in Iraq, America is working to drain the swamp.
"In the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty," said Bush. And so, the president reminds us that Iraq is part of America's forward strategy of freedom. For, he said, "We believe that freedom . . . is not for us alone, it is the right and the capacity of all mankind."
Today in Iraq, Americans are doing what they always have done. With dedication and undaunting courage, American men and women are advancing freedom. This is America's opportunity and our duty.
Richard S. Williamson, a Chicago lawyer, is former U.S. ambassador and alternate representative to the United Nations.
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