Fighting the same battles...

Pat, I couldn't agree more. Today under President Obama we hit two militant bases in Pakistan. Meanwhile, doctors are reporting injuries to women and children inflicted by Hamas on those Gazans they "suspect” of helping Israel. Not much from the world over the re-arming, the use of children as human shields or the staging of attacks from hospitals, mosques etc. by Hamas. We don't hear much about murder in Sudan, abuse to children and women in Iran/Pakistan, students beaten in Caracas for opposing Hugo. We hear little about lawyers murdered in Russia, Jewish temples desecrated in France, girls doused with acid in Pakistan. Blowback is a bad thing and I wish Bush did more to explain why we must act, why like Jefferson said, we must guard the approaches of our markets and promote Liberal Democracy.

Who will battle those who hate our values, our markets, our culture? (note the demand for Islamic "people" to live under Sharia law wherever they reside) Will we wait until WMD come without signatures? Do radioactive clouds know of borders? Do pathogens know one people from another?

I was struck by what little defense of our ideals Obama put forward before he threatened our enemies. I have heard more coherent thoughts of late from the Dali Lama. We, as a nation, need to stop blaming ourselves as the prime global threat and start standing up before the gains other past Americans fought for are lost to the sands of time. Maybe now that Bush is gone we will stop cursing the last administration and realize we are still this planet’s greatest force for good. In the days to come, we shall see what backbone Obama and Clinton have. Unfortunately too many Americans refuse to see reality. Media filters the grim slide the world is taking. We are fast becoming Alfred E. Neumans concerned more about cable TV and rising healthcare costs than the slaughter of innocents and the lethal spread of facism, terror and greed.

I can see where that is going to end. Change means little if we don’t make an effort to restore pride, achievement, strength and certainty. Circumspection must become resolve.

Actually, the post-war niceness to the Germans was immensely successful, unlike the punitive attitudes following the First World War. There's nothing wrong with wooing a former enemy to make a friend and ally of them. On the other hand, excessive niceness to the Nazis pretty well set the stage for the Second World War in the first place.

There's a time and place for everything. Turning a blind eye to tyranny is wrong. Showing magnanimity to a thoroughly defeated foe and helping them into a new paradigm is usually not only wise, but successful.

correction. I never thought it was exclusively conservative to be unwavering in support of civilization against barbarism. Seems to me that's a pretty liberal notion, standing up for liberalism (in the broad sense). I've always thought of muself as a pro-defense liberal. Back in the day, that wasn't seen as much of a contradiction, as it's seen by certain people today.

I agree completely and on that note I'm wondering if any of you have checked out Andrew Breitbart's "Big Hollywood" blog? He similarly points out that conservatives need to get back in the game of popular culture; during the first few days I was a bit disappointed because it seemed to be quite a bit of the usual whining from Hollywood conservatives (not that they don't have gripe, but it gets old and certainly isn't going to inspire anyone to keep reading.)

The content and contributors seem to be improving (though still a bit spotty) and I was delighted to see that they've added satirist David Burge (Iowahawk). Humor is definitely what is needed and if they keep expanding in that direction it could be a good project.