WHOOPS, I Missed Again

We heard the President speak tonight regarding his new plan in Iraq. It was a concise and coherent briefing on what would happen next. No real surprises. However, what was interesting was Dickie Turban's response. After spending the beginning of his remarks poo-pooing the presidents plan and painting a grim picture of the Iraq experience, he started reeling off what we had given the Iraqis while we have been there........we had captured their dictator, seen through to his execution, gotten to the point where they were holding elections and on and on. Afterwards, I expected the talking heads to point out the obvious contradiction in Turbans remarks: HE ACKNOWLEDGED MUCH SUCCESS IN IRAQ!!!!!!!!!! It stymies me when these things simply float over the heads of those who sit in their chairs, powder on their faces where egg should be. They pontificate about what they heard but miss the nuances that a good debater would chomp down on like a pit bull on a wiener dog. Weeks. Months. Years of how we have done nothing good in Iraq, spent too much money and lost too many lives. Yet on the heels of such remarks look at all we gave them. CHECK-MATE. The liberals lose. We HAVE had much success. And as far as war goes, we have had little in the way of American human loss. (insert caveat that each life is valuable). Fact is, war is death and we see as much death in an American city as we have seen throughout this entire war. Difference being those dead in the cities did not sign up for the job of ... er... SOLDIER.

Goodbye, Mr. Ford

The passing of President Ford has been an interesting study in political equivocation. He was a man largely forgotten, sandwiched between President Nixon who stepped down in scandal, and President Carter, who injects himself into politics to this day in just as ineffectual a manner as he did during his tenure in office. He lost his re-election, which actually was his election campaign, and then simply waved goodbye and sank into the backs of our minds, rarely conjured up except for when he was useful as the butt of a good golf joke.

The most memorable action of our 38th president was his controversial pardon of Richard M. Nixon. He was berated by the democrats and people claimed he was simply playing favorites with his predecessor to save him from deserved criminal action. But this man was no dummy. He knew that the country was in a spiral after Watergate, the Viet Nam War and the scandals that elevated him to the highest office in the land. But rather than not do what was controversial and make sure that instead he could live another four years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he did what he thought was right and he issued the pardon. Historians today widely credit him with having committed the act that single handedly began a national healing that was badly needed, and not any too soon.

Now the liberals, many the same ones who so vehemently opposed him, praise his actions. Even our own Harry Reid has doubled back on his view of the pardon.

My favorite John Wayne movie is The Quiet Man. It is the story of a strong but silent man who overcomes his demons of the past to stand his ground and maintain his pride. For 30 years, Ford sat back and awaited the taming of his demon while standing his ground and maintaining his pride. No sooner had he passed into the hereafter then his demons were tamed. He did not have to demand his place in history, or engineer the historical record to get there, he simply had to await the unfolding of history and let what he believed to be true play itself out. I am glad for men like Gerald R. Ford. They work for what they truly believe is right and they accept their fate as a result of their actions. Many times, as with Ford, fate shines upon their memory and affirms their good choices. R.I.P., President Ford.