You go to war with the President you have (or, recently, do not have). Nothing reveals the true measure of a man and President than he must deal with the hard realities of war.
Roosevelt:
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
On Obama's forgettable recent rhetorical effort:
Moreover, civilian commanders-in-chief have a special responsibility in their battle speeches from which their military counterparts are exempt -- rallying the civilian population. Here, Obama failed miserably, save for the only segment of the civil population that seemed to matter to him -- the Democrat's left wing. Unfortunately, in democracies, wars are not waged by placating special constituencies. They must enjoy broad based support. That begins with the "visible presence" to use Patton's phrase, of the president. The only resolution I observed during the speech were the stony faces in the audience. -- From Richard F. Miller, author of In Words and Deeds: Battle Speeches in History @ Jules Crittenden » Words & Deeds
Today's lesson from Morrissey @ Hot Air is worth noting:
The lesson from that war is that appeasement and complacency doesn't keep one from having to fight a war. It usually forces one to fight from an extreme disadvantage. That's a lesson we have not remembered in dealing with expansionist powers in our own time, even after a second shock like 9/11 after years of complacency in dealing with al-Qaeda. We're falling back to treating radical Islamist terrorism like a Law and Order episode, and allowing one of the main drivers of radical Islamist terror, Iran, to arm itself with nuclear weapons with no consequences whatsoever.... On what date will the next “sneak” attack occur? -- Hot Air ｻ Blog Archive ｻ Always remember: 68th anniversary of Pearl HarborPosted by Vanderleun at December 7, 2009 8:27 AM
If Obama had been CinC on Dec. 8, 1941, he would have declared war, and then pledged to shut down the war in June, 1943. Moreover, he would have most likely blamed the war on his predecessor, calling him "a rich, white Hyde-Park Cowboy." This, all after begging Tojo and Hitler to unclench their fists while delivering disparaging statements against the U.S. in speeches made in capitols foreign.
Posted by: Blastineau at December 7, 2009 10:06 AM
HOME