"A force for good" indeed
A reminder that we are the good guys in this fight
By AcademicElephant Posted in War — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
(Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal that is unfortunately protected, but I don't think the Journal would mind some extensive quotes today. [UPDATE: The piece is now available on Defenselink])
Amid the many memories of 9/11 being shared today, I found this one particularly poignant:
We remember where we were that day.
At 9:38 a.m., the entire Pentagon shook. I went outside and saw the horrific face of war in the 21st century. Those present could feel the heat of the flames and smell the burning jet fuel -- all that remained of American Airlines flight 77.
Read on...
It is perhaps too often forgotten that Mr. Rumsfeld has witnessed a battle in the Global War on Terror more immediately than any other top leader in our government, a circumstance that to some extent explains the urgency and commitment with which he is prosecuting that war. I for one would have thrown in the towel long ago. Let someone else deal with the carping criticism, the second guessing, the personal attacks, I would have said. There are lots of able people in government, aren't there? I've done my part--let someone else carry the burden for a while.
Fortunately for all of us, Mr. Rumsfeld has done no such thing. He has soldiered on for the five years since 9/11, always keeping the searing images of that day in his mind. His op-ed today, however, looks forward as well as back. He echoes some of the President's words from his September 6th speech regarding our successes to date and outlining challenges we still face:
Yet, even with these victories in the war, President Bush reminded us that it is important to understand the nature of this enemy, and what it is seeking to do. The extremist movement that threatens us is not a reactionary force -- it actively looks for opportunities to acquire new and deadlier weapons, to destabilize governments, and to create discord among our allies and within our own country.
He reiterates why winning in Iraq is such a vital component in our broader strategy:
To stop them in Iraq, our country has sent our finest young people -- all volunteers -- to help the Iraqis defeat the terrorists seeking to control the region. And while our military tactics, techniques and procedures have adapted as the enemy has changed its tactics, the guiding principle of the overall military strategy remains constant -- namely, to empower the Iraqi people to defend, govern and rebuild their own country. Extremists know that war and anarchy are their friends -- peace and order their enemies.
After calling looming threats to our security by name (Iran and North Korea), Mr. Rumsfeld concludes:
All this while fighting a war in the media on a global stage. As I recently mentioned in remarks to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, everyone is watching: the enemies, their supporters, their potential supporters, our allies and our potential allies. In this very public battle for hearts and minds, we must be as confident in the rightness of our cause as the enemy is in its evil purpose. We cannot allow the world to forget that America, though imperfect, is a force for good in the world.
Perhaps the irony of preventing any additional attacks over the last five years is that many now see 9/11 as an isolated incident--a tragic fluke, but one that perhaps should not dominate our national discourse as it has. How tempting it is to look back over the last five years and conclude that the lack of additional attacks was inevitable. Maybe we shouldn't have been so aggressive with our allies. Maybe we shouldn't have gone into Iraq. Maybe we have made a situation that was really not that bad after all much worse...
Not so, argues Mr. Rumsfeld. While I'm sure he would much rather be making this argument than contending with another attack, I agree with him that on this somber day it behooves us all to remember that our safety over the last five years has been bought with the diligent effort of so many in our government and in our society at large, through hard work and sacrifice. As someone who saw the face of the enemy five years ago, Mr. Rumsfeld knows good from evil. There are many complications and ambiguities in the Global War on Terror that has emerged from the rubble of 9/11, but one aspect is pretty simple: we are the good guys in this fight.
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"A force for good" indeed 3 Comments (0 topical, 3 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I would very much like to see, both on Redstate and in the MSM, the pictures / video of Secretary Rumsfeld helping to evacuate the wounded from the Pentagon. Maybe I will see it on Redstate, I am not holding my breath as far as the MSM goes.
The more I think about it, the more I realize Arabs should be very worried about the American Street, not the other way around. I am as pissed off today as I was five years and two hours ago, and my sincere hope for the future is that every citizen in every capital in every Muslim theocracy would find themselves extremely nervous every time September 11th rolled around.
Unfortunately, far too many people in this country think we are not the "good guys."
The left (and in that I include the Democratic Party and their handmaidens in the press) has managed to raise Bush Derangement Syndrome to the the degree that a recent survey shows that a third of Americans think that the federal government was complicit in 9/11; the views range from the "benign" (the administration knew about it and deliberately didn't stop it) to the "malevolent" (the buildings were brought down by controlled demolition and the crews and passengers of the aircraft were taken to a secret base and murdered by their fellow Americans.)
There have always been, and always will be, people who see monsters under the bed, no matter how old they are. Those people begin life with a tenuous grasp on reality to start with, so they may be excused their little foray into darkness. The people who have much to answer for are the rational, mainstream Democrats and the press who do nothing, absolutely nothing, to disuade people from these excursions into the dark places in their minds, and in fact provide subtle encouragement. For them there is no forgiveness or understanding possible; and if there is a God in Heaven He has a special place in Hell reserved for them.
John
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True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whisky, I don't know.
P.J O'Rourke
used by those with first hand experience? I will tell you why, because these attacks are unforgettable for anyone experiencing then first hand. Mr. Rumsfeld, like all others directly involved is motivated by a pragmatic and resolute objective to never have a reoccurrence. Not some political end, hatred or other excuse put forth by naysayer’s, detractors and political gadflies.
It is unconscionable that anyone would call for Mr. Rumsfeld’s resignation in this time of great need. To remove a front line leader, in place since the beginning is just unthinkable. If this is one of the Democrat’s policy pillars, I can’t fathom why anyone would consider voting for their candidates.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"