Written October 2004

My Final Word for the 2004 election

For what it’s worth, and for my friends who might care about my thoughts on current history and the existing political scene, I offer the following:

President Bush and Senator Kerry have many qualities and policies about which people can disagree, and I am certainly one of them. I will not belabor your time or mine by listing the “minor” issues. This election must hinge on what you believe about the defining issue in this election.

Of course this is the war in Iraq. It is rather ironic that President Bush and Senator Kerry pretty much agree, on the surface it seems, on the necessary course of action in Iraq. Therein lies much to be concerned about. For I feel that one believes it in his heart that success in Iraq is in the long term interests of our country, even the world, and that the other is just saying it today because of political expediency.

I have been simply stunned over the course of the past year by the developments in this country following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Make no mistake about it, there was universal acceptance by all nations, the UN, many Middle East countries, the intelligence entities in these nations, and yes, even Senator Kerry, on more than one occasion [and most likely even you] of the danger of leaving Saddam Hussein unchecked indefinitely. George Bush may not be the most intelligent president we have ever had, but he could see that there was only one solution to the intransigence and the danger posed by Saddam. France and Russia, and even China, we have since learned, were feeding at the trough of the Iraq oil for food money, so they were not disposed to act. Such are the failings of the old world order……

Of course, the biggest reason for the crisis was the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), which the entire world thought Saddam possessed. As it has turned out, Saddam has outfoxed not only the entire world and its intelligence agencies, but even apparently his generals and close associates in the matter of his (WMD). So now what are we to make of the overthrow of Saddam in light of this new knowledge? Does this make it illegal? Do we go and undo this war now? Or do we just join the “George Bush is a liar” brigade [and don’t forget the rest of the world…] and wish it hadn’t happened? Well, it has happened. So what do we do now….

Of course Saddam outfoxed him self as well, because he certainly didn’t think that the US would ever invade Iraq. As history now reveals it, he was counting on getting out from under the sanctions (and he was succeeding), and then reconstituting his WMD. George Bush threw a monkey wrench into the works, by actually following through on his warnings, and the French and the radical Islamists may never be the same! But the Iraqis, and by proxy, the entire Middle East, have a real chance to come out of this smelling like a rose…… If we will only help them.

If this isn’t a case of making orchids out of onions, I don’t know what is!

I believe this because I think George Bush has seen the bigger issue, which was really underlying the immediate one of the WMD. Iraq under Saddam was a rogue, terrorist nation, and deserved what it got. Whether Saddam was intimate with Al Qaida is hard to establish, but he was certainly a soul mate. Be that as it may, Iraq is now free.

The freeing of Iraq will have radical consequences, in concert with Bush’s proclamation that “free nations do not breed terrorism.” Many feel this is naïve and simplistic, and it is certainly that, but it also happens to be true. You cannot but believe that the vast majority of the Iraqi population, as much as many may hate Americans and the West, do not want to live in despotism, and under the heel of a few thug terrorists like Zarqawi and his ilk. If we can stay the course and support Iraq’s fledgling government, the outcome can only be for the good. How can you not see that? And how can you dare to suggest that we abandon the vast majority of Iraqis who want to live in peace and freedom? It is only the tiny minority who want chaos and a return to the middle ages. And just imagine how this will reverberate through the Mideast. Maybe the Palestinians will see hope in something besides bombs. It is just a shame that the Americans have had to do this practically alone. But then we have been there before….

George Bush is the only leader in the course of the last generation who has had the courage to stir the pot, and possibly, just possibly change the course of history in the Middle East. Whether for the better or for the worse now depends on how we re-implement that pot that has been stirred. We can choose to cut and run or stay the course and finish the task at hand. Which will it be? I think this is a decision that will reverberate through generations.

This is exactly where the election of the next president will be so crucial. Because if you believe like me that Senator Kerry does not exhibit the same core beliefs that George Bush does on this issue, I feel that the endeavor in Iraq will fail, and the future of the world will be less secure. Do we have the staying power to hold on? Senator Kerry has declared that he has the same core beliefs that George Bush does on these issues, but this is extremely hard to believe, looking at all he has been over his life….

If Senator Kerry does have any core values, it seems to be those of a pacifist, with an anti-war heart, an internationalist, and most certainly a “big government solves every issue” politician. This he has demonstrated over and over during his time in the Senate, as well as his Vietnam era years. The most astounding and damning demonstration of this, and the only one you need to note, is his vote against the first Gulf War, in spite of the fact of universal support by all nations, including his beloved French. It is a truly scary proposition as to where this world would be today if John Kerry had had his way in this matter. Saddam would have been master of the Mideast, including especially Saudi Arabia. And nobody, absolutely nobody, even today, doubts Saddam’s ultimate intentions on WMD, once he had the ability. You need time to digest this fact………………. Do you really think Kerry has changed his stripes? He had 20 years to do it here….

There was a time when I also was a near pacifist, and quite anti-war and very much an internationalist. I was young and idealistic, and very hopeful for the world. I served in the Army in the Vietnam era and I watched all the antiwar protests, even protesting in a few, and I was against the war. I felt very much like John Kerry at that time. I can understand where he has come from….. but I cannot understand where he has gotten to….. I am still idealistic and hopeful for the world. But pacifists cannot confront people like Saddam and his soul mates.

Pathways to the future are often filled with missteps, but I am not so sure Vietnam was a misstep, retrospectively in the grand scheme of things. In the same vein I do not believe that Iraq has been a misstep either. The Democrats and the media are doing everything in their power to portray Iraq as a disastrous failure. It is tragic that the success of the Democrats seems to hinge on the failure of Iraq. Something is terribly wrong with this picture….. It cannot be stressed often enough that it can only be in our interests (and everybody else’s interest) that Iraq be a success. We only have to make it happen! Or would you rather that a few thug terrorists like Zarqawi win the day?

I have the same ultimate simplistic vision for the world that George Bush does. Free nations are the only ones which can evolve successfully into the future, with the least harm to themselves [their people] and their neighbors. North Korea is going to have a terrible time transitioning to this in the future, but it must, and will. One single idiotic, despotic thug such as Kim Jung Il will not prevent the future from happening. The future does not belong to despotic thugs.

This vision is very naïve, but it is the truth, and it is simple enough that most anybody in the world can resonate with it. It is in the same vein as the one that Reagan painted of the Soviet Union as evil, but it reveals an underlying truth.

Nevertheless, and unfortunately, I am busy trying to accommodate myself to the fact that we may actually elect John Kerry president. I personally feel that would be a step backward, because I do not believe he will persevere in Iraq. His election will send hope to all those anti-American interests in the world, much as his antiwar activity emboldened our enemies at the end of the Vietnam war. I sincerely hope I eat my words on this. If Kerry is elected, I am quite sure this country will survive him – it has survived worse. We are a free people, we do not terrorize and enslave other nations, in spite of the protestations of some of the ultra leftist “America is evil” crowd. We need bold leadership with bold visions - it is the only way to move forward in the current stalemate. Reagan had the right idea on who was in the right during the cold war. We need somebody with the same vision during these wars on terror.

If we do reelect George Bush, I think on balance the world will be sent the right message, and that America will stand by those evolving to Freedom. By the way, it was John F Kennedy who said, “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, ….to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” How far we have come, and how far away the Democrats have gone astray from this. George Bush is actually fulfilling JFK’s legacy in our time. Quoting JFK:

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.”

I think this applies to us now, at least as much as it did during the cold war.

On the other hand, if we do reelect George Bush, the country will be so divided that it may be almost ungovernable. That is a scary proposition, but one that is repeated throughout history in times of great turmoil. The greatest American president in the 19^th century was Abraham Lincoln, and he was absolutely, universally, reviled at the time. The success of the civil war was in very large doubt for the first three years. Lincoln would not have survived a modern press and congress. Only in the ages after, has his wisdom in preserving the union and upholding freedom for all people, in the face of fierce opposition, been recognized for the truly astounding vision that it was at the time. Perhaps the greatest person in the 20^th century was Winston Churchill, who almost singled handedly, inspired the Brits, and held off the Nazis until the Americans were finally forced to enter the war. Churchill was held in contempt until the Brits were actually forced to enter the war, and then summarily dumped after the war. His wartime capabilities, leadership, and inspiring rhetoric were unmatched however. “Never in the course of human events has so much been owed by so many to so few” – speaking of the British pilots in holding off the Nazi aerial onslaught.

Bush measures up to neither of these people by any stretch of the present imagination. I would trade him for Tony Blair or John McCain in a heartbeat. But we are stuck with him. But better him than Kerry…..

 Additional Thoughts......

These are strange times.  A Democrat party "insurgency" that started out as antiwar and violently anti-Bush winds up being more Bush than Bush, if we are to believe all the Kerry rhetoric.  Republicans look like Democrats, and Democrats look like Republicans on the fiscal scene.  What are we as people supposed to make of all this? 

I am quite depressed by the whole scene over here.  I sense the country has not been this divided since the Vietnam war, or maybe even the civil war.

I'm actually kinda surprised that we don't see the demonstrations like we did during Vietnam.  Maybe we have grown up....  Or maybe it is the volunteer Army, as opposed to the draft Army. However, I get the feeling that if Bush wins, the Democrats will make it absolutely intolerable and we may yet see some demonstrations.

In that respect I would suffer a Kerry presidency -  I am sure we can survive him.  And I feel that he will probably win. 

The problem with Kerry is that you have, really, absolutely no idea where he stands.  His stances on the issues of war and terrorism are in stark contradiction to his former life, and even to many recent statements.  My liberal friends parrot all his most recent statements, without any retrospective at all.  Don't they realize this should make them Bush supporters?  I am quite stunned by all this.  Have these people no memory at all??  Have they no "gratitude."

Maybe gratitude is too highly rated.  No liberal will give Bush credit for his vision.  Bush, with his values and clear vision, was most likely the only one who could have taken that step [invading Iraq] - certainly no Democrat, or no pure politician, would have.  They would have waited forever on the UN, probably in vain.  Maybe that is all Bush was capable of doing, and we need somebody else to finish it. But I feel in their gut the Democrats are jealous.  Clinton is simply despondent that he is not president during these times, that he had to face Monica Lewinsky instead of Bin Laden and Saddam.  They will not forgive Bush for preempting their historical right to carry out their agenda of the liberal world view.  Kennedy sets the stage, Reagan and Bush get to actually carry it out. 

Our only hope then is that Kerry will come to realize how important the mission that Bush stumbled into really is.  He may not be able to see this until he is in office.  We can hope, can't we?? 

My only guidance on this is Churchill, again.  He was such the right instrument for the war times, but he was probably the wrong instrument for the peacetime.     But we are not yet in peacetime are we...

 Check out my additional rants and raves.....

In spite of the Democrats (and Republicans) insistence that they could have planned this whole enterprise better, you and I know better than that. History often just happens to the Democrats and the Republicans as much as it just happens to us as individuals. Leaders set visions, and the rest just sort of ….happens. Determinism went out with Marx.

Let us grab the present situation and make the best of it, for us and our children. It is the youth which will live with the reverberations of this for generations to come. But is unfortunate that the elders have to make the tough decisions.

I do believe that the very long term interests of this country, and indeed the whole world, depend on finding some solution for the Middle East conflict, which has been with us since WWII. This conflict has pretty much spawned the present precarious state of affairs, specifically the Israeli - Palestinian impasse, and the radical Islamic view of the world that Western civilization must be eliminated. I am not sure we, as Westerners, could have done much, in retrospect, to ameliorate either cancer, because I believe fundamentally that the Islamic states are failed states. The Islamic state institutions have been co-opted by the Islamic religion and its medieval world view. They are almost incapable of evolving into the new world that they see taking place in the West, and even now in the East. They cannot look inward and find their own system at fault, so they look outward and find the rest of the world at fault. There is no mechanism for political dissent in these states other than to co-opt the existing state and its religion for the imposition of their medieval world view. This has certainly not happened in the West, or the East. As flawed as our systems may be, religion was tossed out of the makeup centuries ago.

Yes, this is even as the world may become less secure in the immediate future.