thedrifter
03-07-03, 07:05 AM
"The Voice of the Grunt"
03-05-2003
We Have Been Down This Road Before
By William F. Sauerwein
These are the times that try men’s souls. – Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, Dec. 23, 1776.
Gen. George Washington ordered the reading of Paine’s now-historic pamphlet to the Continental Army before its audacious crossing of the Delaware River to attack the British army at Trenton the day after Christmas, 1776. The cause of American independence was at its lowest ebb and defeat seemed inevitable.
Washington understood that his skeleton Continental Army was all that kept the hope of independence alive. He felt that the reading of this pamphlet would raise troop morale, and impress upon his soldiers that their sacrifices were necessary. The pamphlet further coined the phrases of “summer soldier” and “sunshine patriot” for admonishing those lacking sufficient dedication.
Our triumph in the American Revolution is due to the commitment of one man, Washington. His charisma and character kept the Continental Army together, despite an inept and critical Congress, intrigues for his removal and an apathetic public.
I was saddened – at another time when America is uneasy about war – to observe that Washington’s Birthday this year went largely unnoticed, with no acknowledgment of the debt we owe this great American. We used to honor him as the “Father of Our Country,” and celebrate his accomplishments. Without his leadership and wisdom, the United States would not exist as we know it. Today, he is hardly mentioned in the history books, and his name is sandblasted from school names.
While I do not suggest that George W. Bush is another George Washington, there are similarities in their struggles. Washington struggled to build a new country based on a new form of government. Bush is struggling with our changing role as the sole superpower, and our leadership in a new type of global warfare.
Someone once stated that “ordinary men” overcoming “extraordinary situations” make great leaders. Washington was certainly one of those leaders. Whether George W. Bush is ever regarded that way largely depends on the rest of us. All Americans are “ordinary people” living in a time of “extraordinary situations,” and we must accept the challenge.
Reading The American Crisis today may put all of our current problems in perspective, and steel us for the task ahead. The war against terrorism may expand into nations that request our assistance for fighting terrorist cells threatening their security.
Rogue states threaten global stability by sponsoring terrorism, providing sanctuary, or threatening their weaker neighbors. The main deterrent stopping these aggressors is American resolve in honoring its commitment to the intended victims. Failure in accomplishing these missions could have severe consequences in not only the United States, but also the world as a whole.
The United States is the only nation capable of challenging the threat because of our unmatched military and economic power. The United Nations seems incapable of enforcing the resolutions it passes – or maybe it is simply unwilling. Remember that iconic image from the U.N. peacekeeping mission where soldiers were handcuffed to targets in Bosnia to prevent NATO aircraft from bombing them?
Where were our European allies, who did not stop this aggression occurring in their own back yard? They pleaded for the United States to rescue them and solve their problems. Now as we prepare to lead a coalition for removing a growing threat – that threatens them more than it does us – some of them block our efforts.
From Operation Desert Storm in 1991 through the Balkan campaigns of the 1990s, we used our firepower and shed our blood to protect Muslim people. Our reward for this effort was the debacle in Somalia; the first attack on the World Trade Center; the Khobar Towers bombing; embassy bombings in Africa; the USS Cole bombing, and finally, the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
We are the sole superpower, which entails the role of global policeman, whether we like it or not. Yes, we use that power in our own national interest. Any nation that does not risks its own survival. However, I do suggest that without our power the world would face more risks from totalitarian predators than it currently does.
Let there be no doubt, many nations, including some of our “allies,” hope that we will fail. They once held the status of superpower, and because of their failures no longer can claim that title. We should take a lesson from their failures, and do our best not to repeat them.
Perhaps the biggest resentment of American power comes from the United Nations. Most member nations of the U.N. are authoritarian, not democratic, and fear the American intent of democratizing Iraq. They fear that this may lead to establishing democracies in their nations as well.
We are at a critical stage in history. Iraq has violated dozens of U.N. resolutions including those that the regime agreed to in its ceasefire agreement following Operation Desert Storm. Encouraged by the inaction of the Clinton administration and western nations throughout the 1990s, Saddam pushed the envelope and now is believed to possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD) despite the U.N. resolutions.
Many U.N. member nations seem willing to look the other way, avoiding any confrontation – preferring to thwart U.S. military action rather than dealing with the Iraqi threat. Neither the U.N. nor those member states will face adversity from inaction, but the United States will lose invaluable prestige if it does nothing. If we show weakness, allies may rethink their option of relying on American protection. And since nothing succeeds like success, Saddam could garner support from other regimes, possibly even a closer relationship with North Korea.
There are no easy answers. The current crisis is every bit as formidable as that faced by Washington as he prepared to cross the Delaware. Washington understood that if he failed he could be hung as a traitor and his men imprisoned. While Bush does not face that extreme possibility, we all must recognize that a U.S. failure to take decisive action against Iraq could increase the likelihood of attacks against us in the future.
William F. Sauerwein is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mono@gtec.com.
Thomas Paine
http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/Paine/Crisis/Crisis-TOC.html
Sempers,
Roger
03-05-2003
We Have Been Down This Road Before
By William F. Sauerwein
These are the times that try men’s souls. – Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, Dec. 23, 1776.
Gen. George Washington ordered the reading of Paine’s now-historic pamphlet to the Continental Army before its audacious crossing of the Delaware River to attack the British army at Trenton the day after Christmas, 1776. The cause of American independence was at its lowest ebb and defeat seemed inevitable.
Washington understood that his skeleton Continental Army was all that kept the hope of independence alive. He felt that the reading of this pamphlet would raise troop morale, and impress upon his soldiers that their sacrifices were necessary. The pamphlet further coined the phrases of “summer soldier” and “sunshine patriot” for admonishing those lacking sufficient dedication.
Our triumph in the American Revolution is due to the commitment of one man, Washington. His charisma and character kept the Continental Army together, despite an inept and critical Congress, intrigues for his removal and an apathetic public.
I was saddened – at another time when America is uneasy about war – to observe that Washington’s Birthday this year went largely unnoticed, with no acknowledgment of the debt we owe this great American. We used to honor him as the “Father of Our Country,” and celebrate his accomplishments. Without his leadership and wisdom, the United States would not exist as we know it. Today, he is hardly mentioned in the history books, and his name is sandblasted from school names.
While I do not suggest that George W. Bush is another George Washington, there are similarities in their struggles. Washington struggled to build a new country based on a new form of government. Bush is struggling with our changing role as the sole superpower, and our leadership in a new type of global warfare.
Someone once stated that “ordinary men” overcoming “extraordinary situations” make great leaders. Washington was certainly one of those leaders. Whether George W. Bush is ever regarded that way largely depends on the rest of us. All Americans are “ordinary people” living in a time of “extraordinary situations,” and we must accept the challenge.
Reading The American Crisis today may put all of our current problems in perspective, and steel us for the task ahead. The war against terrorism may expand into nations that request our assistance for fighting terrorist cells threatening their security.
Rogue states threaten global stability by sponsoring terrorism, providing sanctuary, or threatening their weaker neighbors. The main deterrent stopping these aggressors is American resolve in honoring its commitment to the intended victims. Failure in accomplishing these missions could have severe consequences in not only the United States, but also the world as a whole.
The United States is the only nation capable of challenging the threat because of our unmatched military and economic power. The United Nations seems incapable of enforcing the resolutions it passes – or maybe it is simply unwilling. Remember that iconic image from the U.N. peacekeeping mission where soldiers were handcuffed to targets in Bosnia to prevent NATO aircraft from bombing them?
Where were our European allies, who did not stop this aggression occurring in their own back yard? They pleaded for the United States to rescue them and solve their problems. Now as we prepare to lead a coalition for removing a growing threat – that threatens them more than it does us – some of them block our efforts.
From Operation Desert Storm in 1991 through the Balkan campaigns of the 1990s, we used our firepower and shed our blood to protect Muslim people. Our reward for this effort was the debacle in Somalia; the first attack on the World Trade Center; the Khobar Towers bombing; embassy bombings in Africa; the USS Cole bombing, and finally, the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
We are the sole superpower, which entails the role of global policeman, whether we like it or not. Yes, we use that power in our own national interest. Any nation that does not risks its own survival. However, I do suggest that without our power the world would face more risks from totalitarian predators than it currently does.
Let there be no doubt, many nations, including some of our “allies,” hope that we will fail. They once held the status of superpower, and because of their failures no longer can claim that title. We should take a lesson from their failures, and do our best not to repeat them.
Perhaps the biggest resentment of American power comes from the United Nations. Most member nations of the U.N. are authoritarian, not democratic, and fear the American intent of democratizing Iraq. They fear that this may lead to establishing democracies in their nations as well.
We are at a critical stage in history. Iraq has violated dozens of U.N. resolutions including those that the regime agreed to in its ceasefire agreement following Operation Desert Storm. Encouraged by the inaction of the Clinton administration and western nations throughout the 1990s, Saddam pushed the envelope and now is believed to possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD) despite the U.N. resolutions.
Many U.N. member nations seem willing to look the other way, avoiding any confrontation – preferring to thwart U.S. military action rather than dealing with the Iraqi threat. Neither the U.N. nor those member states will face adversity from inaction, but the United States will lose invaluable prestige if it does nothing. If we show weakness, allies may rethink their option of relying on American protection. And since nothing succeeds like success, Saddam could garner support from other regimes, possibly even a closer relationship with North Korea.
There are no easy answers. The current crisis is every bit as formidable as that faced by Washington as he prepared to cross the Delaware. Washington understood that if he failed he could be hung as a traitor and his men imprisoned. While Bush does not face that extreme possibility, we all must recognize that a U.S. failure to take decisive action against Iraq could increase the likelihood of attacks against us in the future.
William F. Sauerwein is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mono@gtec.com.
Thomas Paine
http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/Paine/Crisis/Crisis-TOC.html
Sempers,
Roger