COME BACK SHANE - WHERE HAVE YOU GONE AUDIE MURPHY?
YOU'VE LEFT US WITH THE MANDARIN CANDIDATE.
YOU'VE LEFT US WITH THE MANDARIN CANDIDATE.
Thirty plus years ago, John Kerry was part of a clutch of malcontents, ultra-liberals, socialists, outright communists, pacifists and America-haters, waging a dishonest campaign to convince the U.S. public that our involvement in Vietnam was evil. This group was able to use lies, exaggerations and false witnesses to influence popular opinion against the war and anybody that had anything to do with it. They were successful in dividing this country and debasing the deeds and reputations of the American military, and in doing so, consigned a whole generation of American citizens and veterans to an undeserved purgatory. The success of this 'anti-everything' crowd' eviscerated the will of the U.S. and emboldened its enemies, causing countless additional casualties on both sides. Additionally, in forcing the U.S. to back off a war that it was actually winning, the 'antis' also abetted the destruction of millions of lives of innocent citizens in the Indo-China Peninsula of Southeast Asia.
Their success in eviscerating the U.S. mission in Vietnam has emboldened them again to believe they can do the same with the war in Iraq. Using the same tactics, the same cohort is now saying and doing anything to undermine the efforts of the U.S. government, its fighting men and women and its allies. In doing so, it is hampering our efforts to defeat an enemy, an enemy who has been using the same barbarous tactics since the middle of the 7th century, and is giving aid and comfort to our enemies in a time of war (a classical description of treason). I do not say that honest disagreement constitutes treason. What is going on now is decidedly different from sincere and reasoned opposition. It is, rather, shrill and mean-spirited, focused on one objective, regaining power at any cost, demeaning the words and deeds of the President of the United States and, by extension, debasing many of the country's institutions. You cannot listen to the vitriolic rant of Kennedy, Gore, Dean, et.al, without cringing in disgust and disbelief. Worse, the country is completely polarized and the overall tenor of political discourse has lost all civility and it is virtually impossible to engage in a reasoned and mutually respectful political dialogue. Just watch the talking heads on television trying to out-shout and out-smirk each other. Oh, for the good old days, Whigs vs. Tories.
Make no mistake, we are in a religious war and it is suicidal folly not to admit it. However, this war must be fought as the World (including classical Islam) vs. militant, radical Islamo-facism. It must not be fought as a crusade, pitting all of Islam against the Judeo-Christian world, but rather as a to-the-death struggle between humanity and inhumanity.
So, we need a wartime leader. I say we already have one (if not two) in the current administration. Kerry says that only a combat veteran would be qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. Further, that his few months on a riverboat qualify him for that position while George Bush's 45 months of on-the-job performance mean nothing. By that measure, I might qualify by virtue of the Combat Infantryman's Badge I earned for a short stint of combat in Korea. The only problem was that, as I had not plotted to use my service as a springboard into a political career, I did not bring my cameraman with me. Nor was there anywhere in our combat zone for me to go shopping for the campaign ribbons I had earned (let alone the actual underlying medals) to be worn for the photographs I might later use in my political campaigns. Obviously, Kerry was differently inclined and did not have these problems, as his photos testify.
Also, by the same measure, George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Audie Murphy and, possibly, Shane would most certainly qualify as Commander-in-Chief. Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, FDR and Ronald Reagan need not apply. The proposition that actual combat experience is the primary qualification for political leadership might have had some validity in the days of Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Atilla the Hun or even (dare I say) Genghis Khan, but certainly not today.
The civilized world can only hope and pray that several things happen quickly.
1. That the current U.S. Administration, along with its military and humanitarian operations and those of its allies, prevails and that the American electorate soundly rejects one of the leaders of the anti-Iraq, anti-Vietnam cabal, the elitist snob John Kerry (The Mandarin Candidate).
2. That the real representatives of Islam raise their voices in indignation at the savagery that is being inflicted on Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in their names.
3. That Europe wake up to the threats that have already manifested themselves on that Continent, take a realistic view of its position in the 21st Century, and join and support the efforts of those leading this fight before it's too late.
4. And finally, that the Democratic Party regain its senses and become, once more, a reasonable and powerful factor in U.S. politics.
If I were to evaluate the chances of the above 4 items happening, I would have to say "absolutely" to the 1st, "probably, in time" to the 2nd, "possibly" to the 3rd and "maybe, in a generation" to the 4th. I am distressed at the last item for, at 72 years of age, I don't think I'll live to see the return of the day when I am able to have rational and respectful dialogues with my Democratic friends and acquaintances. Does this make me a pessimist? I think not. More likely a realist with optimistic leanings or, to my way of thinking, a conservative Republican.
Jack Deeney
September 28, 2004
PS: After his defeat, Kerry reportedly shouted, “I can’t believe I lost to this f***ing idiot!” It should be noted that the “f***ing idiot” to whom Kerry referred has his undergraduate degree from Yale, a Harvard MBA and a higher GPA than Kerry.
Jack Deeney
April 9, 2008
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