The American Spectator

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Moral Confusion

9.1.06 @ 12:01AM

COW TOWING
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s Rumsfeld Speaks, Democrats Screech:

Hey, don't take it out on cow colleges. They tend to be in red states.
-- Richard Becherer
Maynard, Massachusetts

Please tell Mr. Tyrrell it's always good to get his take on current events, most particularly his clever critique of the latest Rumsfeld speech. Secretary Rumsfeld is a man of sterling character, wisdom and vast experience. The puny of intellect, embarrassingly vocal Senator Reid never fails to disappoint. And Minority-Leader Nancy Pelosi lives in an alternate universe, where only those who are terminally elitist and self-loathing embrace the words that drool from her mouth.

For these two mental midgets to even attempt critical analyses of our mighty Secretary of Defense is to laugh. That there is even a chance the likes of a Pelosi-Reid super majority exists for us in the future, should galvanize the opposition in November. I pray our Secretary of Defense makes himself available frequently in the months to co...the taller he stands, the shorter their fuse (and Nancy's purple-faced rage is not a pretty picture).
-- Barbara Haugen
Cedar City, Utah

This was the first time, as far as I can recall, that I've read anything by Mr. Tyrrell. But if this typifies his writing, it will not be the last. Reid, Pelosi, et al. are always ready to accuse (usually falsely) others of playing politics over matters of grave concern to our country. They should remember that when someone points an accusatory finger at someone else, three of their fingers are pointing back at themselves. To put it in its simplest terms, Rumsfeld has it right, Reid and Pelosi have it horribly wrong.
-- W. MacDiarmid
Murphy, North Carolina

Americans who love our country and want to keep our FREEDOM, need to be very careful which party they vote for. One wants to give control to the U.N. and follow laws that come to us from overseas, they would try and "understand" the terrorist and say oh poor things they have been mistreated. The other wants to follow our Constitution and try to keep terrorist out of our country and not treat them as common criminals, but as someone that wants to wipe America off the maps. Although I am not crazy about the lack of border control from the Republicans.
-- Elaine Kyle

It seems to me that whereas the mainstream media and their henchmen of the Democratic Party flagellate Sec. Rumsfeld on an hourly basis, they treat Sec Rice and her State Department munchkins with an obsequious condescending unctuousness. As Dr. Tyrrell points out, it is deemed unsporting, unseemly, or, horror of horrors: politically insensitive for the Sec/Def to clearly, convincingly, and loyally explicate the administration's Islamofascist policies and efforts. Why should this be? Perhaps because Ms Rice pays attention to these termagants and Mr. Rumsfeld does not? The administration has set new standards for poor performance with respect to communication with its citizens...Rumsfeld is about the sole exception....Mr. Lincoln had his Stanton...Bush his Rumsfeld, and a good thing I say.
-- J.C. Eaton

I thank God that George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Don Rumsfeld are leading the country at this crucial time. Beginning with George Bush's second inaugural, followed up by several speeches by the vice president and now Rumsfeld's masterpiece to the American Legion, these speeches and the ideas they set forth document a comprehensive understanding of current world affairs tempered by the hard won lessons of 20th century history. The ideals and directions these leaders espouse are in the best traditions of America. Traditions that hold regardless of political affiliation.

Many politicians who oppose the current policies seem to have lost touch with reality. Many in the main stream media also seem to have lost touch with reality. The best example of this is the Keith Olbermann soliloquy delivered yesterday in which Mr. Olbermann equates the Bush administration with the Chamberlain administration and critics of the war on terror with Winston Churchill. This is the world stood on its head.

Rumsfeld's description of many critics as "morally confused" is spot on.
-- Doug Santo
Pasadena, California

A contemporary of Clemenceau, Woodrow Wilson, while in France for the Versailles Treaty conferences, once said to an aide, "There must be no delay. It has been so always. People will endure their tyrants for years, but they tear their deliverers to pieces if a heaven on earth is not created immediately." (Ref: The Great War and the Shaping of the Twentieth Century, p. 340.)

Wilson could just as easily have been speaking those words today: Democrats suffer having to appease tyrants for years, and along comes Bush to deliver them and the rest of us from those tyrants, and he gets torn to pieces for not creating a heaven on earth immediately, if not sooner.

Keep up the good work.
-- Gordon Paravano
Sedona, Arizona

Mr. Tyrrell is right to point out differences between the appeasers of the 1930s (in power and smug) and today's (out of power, smug and opportunistic). It may also be helpful to contrast those being appeased. Yesterday's appeasers were confronted with a movement -- national socialism (Nazism) -- that constantly reassured its future victims that they had nothing to worry about. It was about reclaiming some limited territory with historic Germanic connections, etc. Hitler sounded quite reasonable.

Today's appeasers are confronted with a movement -- some call it Islamofascism -- that constantly reassures its future victims of their impending annihilation. The Islamofascists sound somewhat less than reasonable -- at least when compared to der Fuhrer. There are religious directives from the leaders of this movement to kill Americans at all times in all places. There is talk about wiping other nations off the map and promises that a nuclearized jihad is unstoppable.

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