THE CONCEPT OF AMERICA

“You can call it mysticism if you want to, but I have always believed that there was some divine plan that placed this great continent between two oceans to be sought out by those who were possessed of an abiding love of freedom and a special kind of courage.”

—Ronald Reagan

MITT ROMNEY SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN

Why did this man wait so long to give THIS speech, And I'm not talking about the "suspension" or "concession" clause at the end of the speech, announcing his withdrawal from the active campaign. I'm talking about his strong point by point delivery of conservative values and conservative issues, a clear vision riveting with details that make sense to those of us unafraid to acknowledge those principles. Mitt Romney was the only candidate (other than the more intellectually diminutive Tom Tancredo) who really gets it. His speech at CPAC yesterday nailed the Islamofascist enemy in our midst and abroad...

"...And finally, let's consider the greatest challenge facing America – and facing the entire civilized world: the threat of violent, radical Jihad. In one wing of the world of Islam, there is a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate. These Jihadists will battle any form of democracy. To them, democracy is blasphemous for it says that citizens, not God shape the law. They find the idea of human equality to be offensive. They hate everything we believe about freedom just as we hate everything they believe about radical Jihad."

He knows the enemy, is not afraid to name them, and has obviously spent a bit of time developing a cogent plan to deal with it...

"To battle this threat, we have sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world. But their numbers have been depleted by the Clinton years when troops were reduced by 500,000, when 80 ships were retired from the Navy, and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25%. We were told that we were getting a peace dividend. We got the dividend, but we didn't get the peace. In the face of evil in radical Jihad and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military might – raise military spending to 4% of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, re-shape our fighting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve..."

Let's face it. McCain talks big, but is a lightweight when it comes to marshalling details. He thinks he's Ronald Reagan. Come to tghink of it, his voice does waver a bit like Reagan's did in the latter years of his tour of duty. But is that enough. Aren't we looking for a real communicator once again. And McCain is no communicator. That much is clear with all his "my friends" and other talking point repetitions. And even in his early primary victory speeches he literally had to look down and read his enthusiam off the page.

Today was sad day for America. Hopefully we can hold our borders together and not limp our way to becoming another France or Great Britain in four years.

WEAKENING THE CAMP OF ISLAM

Despite SOS Condi Rice's stern admonition, somebody's not listening.
Clearly, one of the most brilliant insights and policies the Reagan administration articulated was that as long as Iran and Iraq were fighting each other, they would constitute a lesser threat to everyone else. History has reflected this, since shortly after the Iran-Iraq war ended, both found new enemies.

When Sunnis and Shiites are channeling their Islamic jihad impulses into fighting each other rather than harassing everyone else, humanity as a whole is safer.

Jihad is a virtual imperative in Islam. It will either seep into the daily lives of those eager to please their bloodthirsty diety as intersectarian, interethnic, intertribal, interparty, inter(whatever) warfare between Muslims or else as warfare against humanity as a whole (e.g. all non-Muslims). The bottom line is that if Muslims are not fighting themselves, they pose an existential threat to everyone else.

There is a strategic lesson here.

But no, Bush had to lunge for Saddam Hussein, who terrified the Saudis; for the belated honor of his dad, Bush senior; supposed easy oil, and some heretical fantasy about being a war president. Democracy? What a joke!