Nullifying America's Victories
by Christopher G. Adamo
Like a bizarre apparition, the bearded figure suddenly reappeared on television screens throughout the nation after an extended absence. Clean-shaven once again, he began uttering a bunch of almost unintelligible drivel, focusing initially on how the country had supposedly been stolen from him by President Bush, but then transitioning into a very predictable mode that would ultimately give aid and comfort to America's enemies. By those words he heralded his own journey into eventual political irrelevance on the world scene, while reminding America once again of the nightmarish future it might have faced, had his obsessive quest for power been successful.
Thus did former Vice-President Al Gore attempt to return to the political limelight last week at a campaign appearance on behalf of Democrat presidential aspirant Howard Dean. And thus did Gore prove once again why America is so much better off than it would have been, had he and his supporters been able to sufficiently juggle the laws and ballots of a few Florida counties to lay hold of the nation's highest office.
Upon this weekend's stunning news that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been captured, one might expect the good fortune of the country to take precedent among liberal Democrats in lieu of their incessant political posturing. But such was not the case. With the sole exception of Senator Joe Lieberman (D. -CT), who correctly stated that if Howard Dean had been in charge, Hussein would still control Iraq, liberals have been almost exclusively trumpeting the ostensible failure of American foreign and domestic policy ever since September 2001.
Dean insists that America is no safer as a result of Hussein's capture. What possible effect can he hope to have on Americans by such words, other than to undermine their greatly uplifted morale at the news of the former tyrant's arrest? By such statements, he may well erode American confidence in its ability to protect itself. Conversely however, he will simultaneously boost the morale of America's adversaries, who might otherwise consider abandoning their cause in the face of continual setbacks. While American resolve will demoralize them, such statements as Dean's give them the hope to persevere. Thus, success on Dean's part is measurable in American blood.
Elsewhere, the momentous event served to prove the true colors of key players on the world stage. United Nations Secretary General and former Hussein business-partner Kofi Annan expressed grave concern over the possibility of Hussein's inhumane treatment at the hands of his American captors, though he never showed any similar concern for the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens who were very inhumanely tortured and murdered by the Hussein regime. Nor has he ever displayed even a tiny fraction of this concern for the multitude of innocent Israeli men, women, and children regularly being slaughtered by Palestinian suicide bombers.
At least Hillary Clinton was savvy enough to publicly laud the President and the military in a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations. However, in the next breath she asserted that the primary factor undermining America's war on terror was last summer's tax cuts. Her rationale for this claim is anybody's guess. But her motive was unmistakable.
Among those who followed the unfolding of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, few can forget the ease with which Clinton apologists effortlessly transitioned from “it didn't happen” to “it doesn't matter,” once the DNA test results became public. Clearly this strategy is in play once again. Upon the capture of Hussein, whose unknown whereabouts were only months ago a primary reason for liberals to declare the Iraq operation a complete failure, the subject now becomes Osama bin Laden. Henceforth, only his capture will signify progress in the war on terror.
Admittedly, President Bush's conduct of this war hasn't been totally without mistakes, chief among them being the retention of Clinton Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, whose policies gravely undermine any real improvements in airport security. But in two plus years since 9-11, enormous strides have been made towards the securing of the American homeland and the neutralization of its terrorist enemies. The absence of any further attacks on the American mainland stand as both proof and reward.
By reacting to triumphs with outlandish claims and accusations, liberals reveal their attention is to be directed more on political gains and losses than on the safety and well being of the country. Thus they give cause to ponder just what sort of Americans could perceive the recent triumphs as a bad thing.
|
