The American Spectator

Ben Stein's Diary

Heroes and Traitors

By Ben Stein from the November 2008 issue

(Page 2 of 3)

I told the men and women what was on my mind. That they go off to fight and die and lose their limbs for us, and we pay almost zero attention to them. That they go off and do acts of courage we can only dream of and we stay at home and worship money and show biz fame. That they go off to fight for us and while they are gone, thugs and tricksters rob this country blind. That while they are getting shot, other human beings are looting America.

These men and women, these families, are what it’s all about.

I brought my pal Jane, whose mother survived five years in Auschwitz and lost her whole family to Hitler except for one sister, and her daughter Lizzie, a sweet child, to the event so Lizzie could see the men who allow her to live in a free country. Jane, whose father lost his entire family to the Nazis, was deeply moved throughout the evening.

The Marine colonel who gave us our awards kept saying how the men in the room had killed more “Commenists” than John Wayne and had ended “World Commenism.” Not quite, but wow, these are supermen.

I went to sleep in a deep haze of gratitude. I am terrified about the stock market, but deeply, deeply, deeply grateful to these fine men. God gave them to us.

Friday

I AM LISTENING TO THE DEBATE between Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama on the radio. I was watching it on TV but I found the facial expressions of the men distracting. On the radio, McCain is far, far better than Obama. But why doesn’t he make the obvious point that no one has to cut spending to pay for the immense Wall Street bailout? It won’t be inflationary because it simply replaces one set of bank assets with another. The moderator, Jim Lehrer, was trying to trick them, I guess. Maybe Lehrer didn’t know himself.

Anyway, this whole financial crisis plays to McCain’s strengths, if he would only realize it. Wall Street can be beaten down only by a man who is utterly unafraid of bullies. That’s John McCain. Wall Street is just a bunch of big talkers and guys who think they’re tough. McCain is a doer who really is tough. Obama is a great guy but has never taken on the special interests the way McCain has. Why doesn’t the McCain campaign make that point?

Come to think of it, why has the McCain campaign never once contacted me about this subject I know so well? Well, probably they hate me because I want the rich to pay more taxes.

Back to the financial crisis. I don’t want to numb your mind. But I think it was all a huge conspiracy. Cunning men created these faulty mortgage bonds. Cunning men sold them to the public. More cunning men sold them short. Then they ultimately created derivatives around them that created a financial Doomsday Device, to paraphrase Buffett. Congress must make laws to annul these derivatives, which are basically economic treason. Just my view.

Monday

A HORRIBLE, AWFUL day. Really bad. I started out in a hotel room in Philadelphia. To tell the truth, it was one of the most dreary hotel rooms I have ever been in. Like a cheap hotel room from a film noir movie. But my wife was nearby—just a few feet away—so I felt a lot better than I otherwise would.

I also was in a pretty good mood because two days ago, I spent the afternoon at Walter Reed visiting sick and wounded soldiers. It is always inspiring and this time was no exception. I was especially moved by a soldier—23 years old—who had been blown 150 feet into the air when the Taliban bombed his armored truck in Afghanistan. His mangled self had been found 300 feet from his truck. He lost one whole leg and part of another and has serious brain injuries.

But he was trying to be brave and was quite friendly. I am wildly impressed. I met so many brave men and women I felt good about America. Then, after I awakened in Philly, I went down to speak to a group of insurance people. Mutual Insurance people. They were incredibly cheerful, upbeat, and intelligent. Mostly from small towns, which I love a lot. I get along really well with small-town people. I think it’s because my parents grew up in small towns and Silver Spring, when I grew up there, was small and all-American.

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