The Winter of My Discontent
"When a secretary of defense gets confirmed 95-2 apparently because he says we are not winning a war, you know Uncle Sam must have a sign on his back that says "kick me."
We've come a long way from that day in April 1986 when President Ronald Reagan ordered Operation El Dorado Canyon, an air strike on Libya by two dozen F-111F fighter bombers in retaliation for a terrorist blast at a West Berlin disco that injured 200 people, including 63 U.S. soldiers, killing two.
Back then we took the fight to our enemies.
Now not even the prospect of a nuclear Iran gets our dander up. Back then we didn't wait for the U.N to pass a resolution. America was feared.
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, who held Americans hostage for 444 days, released them 20 minutes after Reagan's inaugural address.
We bled the Soviet empire dry, supporting communism's opponents around the globe from Afghanistan to Nicaragua.
Occasionally we would take matters into our own hands, as when we thwarted the attempt to turn Grenada into a communist beachhead.
The enemies of our enemies were our friends, and our enemies were just that. We didn't depend on the advice of a former secretary of state who channels Joan Rivers and says to those who would gladly see us disappear, "Can we talk?"
We didn't fear an arms race, we planned on winning it. When we talked to our enemies, it was to tell them things like, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall."
When a runt with delusions of grandeur kicked sand on our feet, we would tell our pilots to kick the tires and light the fires.
Now we find ourselves sitting impotently while Iran's maniacal little smurf, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, builds nukes to wipe Israel off the map while he writes love letters to the American people telling us why we must change our policies.
We wait while the U.N. thinks about talking about imposing sanctions, instead of making a list of targets.
A nation that defeated Nazism, Fascism and Communism sees its generals testifying before Congress on why we can't handle the likes of Muqtada al-Sadr.
They talk about stability and not victory. So does our incoming secretary of defense who says all options are on the table. Once the only option was winning.
We won the Cold War against the evil empire by having the courage and the will and the patience to go the distance.
Now we fulfill Osama bin Laden's prophecy that as in Somalia and Vietnam, America doesn't have the stomach and will bug out.
We watch while Vladimir Putin resurrects czarist Russia, sends anti-aircraft defense missiles to Iran, helps it build nuclear reactors and dictates its conditions for helping us prevent nuclear war in the Middle East.
We watch as Venezuelan thug Hugo Chavez solidifies his control, squeezing every bit of democracy and freedom out of that country as he forms an anti-U.S. alliance with Iran and North Korea and seeks to export his tyranny throughout Central and South America.
And welcome back, Daniel Ortega. The world is safe once again for your ilk.
We are asked to apologize for removing Muslim Imams, who are connected with a mosque linked to al-Qaida, from a plane after exhibiting behavior typical of terrorists.
We establish Muslim meditation rooms in airports as others plot to blow trans-Atlantic airliners out of the sky and our schoolchildren are forbidden from singing Christmas carols.
As a Congress now controlled by the party of John Murtha prepares to accept the terms of our surrender contained in the Iraq Study Group's report, we are reminded that the anniversary of World War II's Battle of the Bulge is approaching.
Things weren't going well in the winter of 1944 either as the 101st Airborne held its ground in surrounded Bastogne.
But there was no Ardennes Study Group to recommend an exit strategy, only an American general, Anthony C. McAuliffe, who, when asked to give up the fight, gave the classic reply, "Nuts!"
How times have changed. All we need now is Jimmy Carter sitting in front of a fireplace.
Sigh...Where is Ronald Reagan when we need him so badly."
Well said. Good night!
"When a secretary of defense gets confirmed 95-2 apparently because he says we are not winning a war, you know Uncle Sam must have a sign on his back that says "kick me."
We've come a long way from that day in April 1986 when President Ronald Reagan ordered Operation El Dorado Canyon, an air strike on Libya by two dozen F-111F fighter bombers in retaliation for a terrorist blast at a West Berlin disco that injured 200 people, including 63 U.S. soldiers, killing two.
Back then we took the fight to our enemies.
Now not even the prospect of a nuclear Iran gets our dander up. Back then we didn't wait for the U.N to pass a resolution. America was feared.
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, who held Americans hostage for 444 days, released them 20 minutes after Reagan's inaugural address.
We bled the Soviet empire dry, supporting communism's opponents around the globe from Afghanistan to Nicaragua.
Occasionally we would take matters into our own hands, as when we thwarted the attempt to turn Grenada into a communist beachhead.
The enemies of our enemies were our friends, and our enemies were just that. We didn't depend on the advice of a former secretary of state who channels Joan Rivers and says to those who would gladly see us disappear, "Can we talk?"
We didn't fear an arms race, we planned on winning it. When we talked to our enemies, it was to tell them things like, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall."
When a runt with delusions of grandeur kicked sand on our feet, we would tell our pilots to kick the tires and light the fires.
Now we find ourselves sitting impotently while Iran's maniacal little smurf, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, builds nukes to wipe Israel off the map while he writes love letters to the American people telling us why we must change our policies.
We wait while the U.N. thinks about talking about imposing sanctions, instead of making a list of targets.
A nation that defeated Nazism, Fascism and Communism sees its generals testifying before Congress on why we can't handle the likes of Muqtada al-Sadr.
They talk about stability and not victory. So does our incoming secretary of defense who says all options are on the table. Once the only option was winning.
We won the Cold War against the evil empire by having the courage and the will and the patience to go the distance.
Now we fulfill Osama bin Laden's prophecy that as in Somalia and Vietnam, America doesn't have the stomach and will bug out.
We watch while Vladimir Putin resurrects czarist Russia, sends anti-aircraft defense missiles to Iran, helps it build nuclear reactors and dictates its conditions for helping us prevent nuclear war in the Middle East.
We watch as Venezuelan thug Hugo Chavez solidifies his control, squeezing every bit of democracy and freedom out of that country as he forms an anti-U.S. alliance with Iran and North Korea and seeks to export his tyranny throughout Central and South America.
And welcome back, Daniel Ortega. The world is safe once again for your ilk.
We are asked to apologize for removing Muslim Imams, who are connected with a mosque linked to al-Qaida, from a plane after exhibiting behavior typical of terrorists.
We establish Muslim meditation rooms in airports as others plot to blow trans-Atlantic airliners out of the sky and our schoolchildren are forbidden from singing Christmas carols.
As a Congress now controlled by the party of John Murtha prepares to accept the terms of our surrender contained in the Iraq Study Group's report, we are reminded that the anniversary of World War II's Battle of the Bulge is approaching.
Things weren't going well in the winter of 1944 either as the 101st Airborne held its ground in surrounded Bastogne.
But there was no Ardennes Study Group to recommend an exit strategy, only an American general, Anthony C. McAuliffe, who, when asked to give up the fight, gave the classic reply, "Nuts!"
How times have changed. All we need now is Jimmy Carter sitting in front of a fireplace.
Sigh...Where is Ronald Reagan when we need him so badly."
Well said. Good night!
That gave me a pretty good chuckle.
