Posted on 12/07/2011 7:45:51 AM PST by xzins
General Ulysses S. Grant was denounced by rivals as a man who drank far too much. Many called him a drunk. They insinuated he really shouldn't be in command.
In response to that, one source says:
With Halleck out of the way, Grant gained command of the Union Army in the West. Grant had valuable support from several members of Congress and, more importantly, from President Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln was urged to fire US Grant due to charges of Grant’s drunkeness, careless and bold style or typically large casualty figures, Lincoln said of Grant, “I can’t spare this man. He fights.”
Lincoln had had his taste of generals who had trouble fighting and winning. He'd endured the huge problem of General George McClellan who never had enough troops, never had the right edge, and, therefore, seldom found a good time to actually get to the fight.
Grant, on the other hand, would take the fight to the enemy. When finally given the leadership of the union army, Grant determined that Lee was the tipping point of the South. His plan was to hound Lee until Lee could fight no more. Grant's plan succeeded, but only because Grant was a man, as President Lincoln said, who actually could and would fight.
That is Newt Gingrich. Newt has the tools to fight, he has a very keen-edged ability to fight, and most importantly, he has a burning desire to get into the fight.
Does Gingrich have weaknesses? Sure. Everyone acknowledges that. At the same time, they watched as candidate after candidate went down in flames because of their basic inability or unwillingness to defend themselves. The line of easy or self-inflicted casualties: Pawlenty, Perry, Bachmann, Cain, Paul and....Romney. (Does anyone really want quiet, don't-rock-the-boat, metro-Romney, even if they could tolerate a liberal masquerading as a Republican? Wouldn't that just be the "Second Coming of John McCain"?)
Conservatives aren't saying these were bad people. They are saying they now realize these other candidates had too much Dole/McCain in them: when the fight came to them they proved they either couldn't or wouldn't fight.
So, why Gingrich despite his flaws?
Because he is a bulldog. Because "We can't spare this man. He fights."
Quite the bulldog alright, like when he was Speaker and got whacked on the nose with the newspaper.
I see Obama losing to Gingrich just as last week’s poll said.
I also see Gingrich fighting. He won’t go gently away as John McCain did about a month into his campaign and as Dole did from the onset of his campaign.
Both of those two decided they were court jesters with a mandate to “be nice”....drove poor Sarah Palin absolutely bonkers trying to figure out why the old man was out making nice with the enemy.
The history of his Presidency. Read about it.
Is this your own original idea or are you a blog thief?
When you get into a fight, you get hit back. One of the charms of the democrats is that they actually fight back. How many of us have lamented that the republican party has perfected the art of rolling over.
When Gingrich got hit by Clinton on the government shutdown, Gingrich came roaring back with welfare reform and tax relief, including a capital gains tax cut.
It’s my own. Wrote it about an hour ago sitting here at the computer and have never seen what you linked, which honestly is nothing like this except for the reference to US Grant.
And that reference, as I look at the link, is not by the author but by some republican in a group of Iowans.
If one of us “unwashed masses” can come up with a Grant parallel, then surely another of us unclean ones can make a similar connection.
The comparison to Grant comes readily to mind. I doubt he is trying to plagiarize an idea. It seems as natural a comparison as Zero to Carter.
To me three intelligent, powerful, flawed, dangerous men are comparable to Newt.
Ben Franklin, Churchill and Grant.
All three were both imperfect and called by history to lead in a time of crisis.
Flashback:
Gingrich: ‘Strategic Blunder’ for Palin to Mock Obama as ‘Community Organizer’
McCain/Palin lost.
Maybe Gingrich was right. If McCain/Palin had won, then you’d have a case.
Could this be the beginning of a list of all the famous people Newt is compared to?
It seems to me that a lot of folks, in their desperation to find someone---anyone---who can beat Romney and Obama, are trying to project Palin's aggressiveness and fighting qualities onto Newt, which is ridiculous.
Just six short months ago, the vast majority of FReepers, including most of his recent newfound supporters, were ridiculing him for his backstabbing and RINO fecklessness. And now he's suddenly U.S. Grant?
Give me a break...
What about that whole impeachment thingy?
Nope. I was among those comparing Gingrich to Churchill....before the Churchill/Gingrich article came out, btw.
This Grant connection makes sense, though, given Grant’s supposed flaws regarding alcohol. Those were probably trumped up charges against Grant, but aren’t political charges almost always trumped up?
Gingrich did his duty on the impeachment. The House voted the articles of impeachment, and the Senate didn’t convict.
The articles were forwarded for the right reason: subborning justice.
As I’ve said before, Newt got “Palinized”, long before Sarah ever did.
He’s got some scores to settle !
“The history of his Presidency. Read about it.”
I have. I’ve read several. Sure, he had bad judgement in his choice of political allies, but, so do most Presidents. Have you noticed that the history book agree that the two most corrupt presidencies were Harding and Grant? Have you noticed that they are both Republicans and that the Democratic 1930’s loom between us and those administrations?
Both administrations came during difficult times - Grant in the wake of the Civil War, and Harding in the wake of the War to End All Wars. Both ended with things pretty much back top normal, and the country back in growth mode.
His life story to me is amazing and unexpected considering my preconceived notions.
Most historians also agree that Andrew Jackson was a terrible man and a terrible President while at the same time acknowledging him as the father of the modern democrat party.
There's no doubt Grant loved cigars (he died from throat cancer), but the charges of alcoholism seem to be no more than rumors started by jealous men.
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