The cut-and-run crowd

Tony Snow / Townhall.com ^ | Dec 16, 2005 | Tony Snow

[kingattax]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It would be easy to portray Jack Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid or any of the other wheezy prophets of the Defeatocrat Party as oddities were it not for the fact that their position on Iraq is deeply consonant with what the Modern Democratic Party has believed for 50 years.

The latest Democratic position on Iraq goes something like this: Even though the Iraqis pulled off a stunningly peaceful and successful election on Dec. 15, President Bush still needs to establish benchmarks for the future, informing the American people of precisely what he will do -- i.e., how many troops he would demobilize -- should certain things happen on the ground in Iraq.

They believe human events unfold in a neat and predictable manner. Call it the Theory of Human Orderliness. The idea is that one can harness the insights of science and the methods of engineering to perfect societies. Theorists believe sound plans can impel people to behave in an ordered manner -- like asteroids tracing their paths through the void.

Thus, John Kennedy launched a war on poverty, asserting in his Inaugural Address that we had it within our power to vanquish hardship and want. Within years, the government began dumping untold billions into like-minded efforts to clean the air and water, provide health care for all, and ring in an era of manageable economic growth and prosperity.

The only flaw in the Orderliness Hypothesis is that it doesn't work if people are present. The war on poverty looked great on paper. It failed miserably in real life. Air-cleansing regulatory schemes looked great in computer models, but failed abysmally in reality. Centralized health care boasted of chalkboard elegance, but is breaking the bank right here, right now. The myth of managed affluence collapsed with the Berlin Wall.

And yet, failure has not altered Democratic thinking an iota. John Kerry boasted dozens of times in his debates with George W. Bush that he had a plan -- for everything: dental care, tree planting, street paving, book binding, teen rutting, mass transit, air circulation, steel production ... you name it. He announced these schemes with a sense of triumph, as if having a plan were superior to having a clue.

In resisting President Bush's infinitely variable approach to the ever-shifting situation in Iraq, Democrats have reverted to form. The cries for benchmarks and deadlines merely embody their weird faith in plans. Howard Dean unwittingly captured the absurdity of it all when he announced this week the precise number of National Guard units required to subdue Al-Qaida.

You see, there are significant differences between celestial bodies and human beings. Asteroids don't change their minds or behavior for any reason -- let alone for myriad reasons. People do.

The mere facts of human cussedness and unpredictability explain why commentators since Sun Tzu have written about the art, not the science, of war. Men are creatures of impulse and will, and almost never behave in accordance with plans (let alone orders).

Democrats have ignored another critical feature of human nature: will. Sheer willpower can motivate troops or demoralize them. If one side has an absolute determination, and the ability to adjust regularly and freely to changes on and around the battlefield, that side can win.

But another kind of will matters, and that is national will. Terrorists don't believe Americans have the stomach to endure combat hardships. They think we will quit. Our ability to prove otherwise will have far more influence on the final outcome than any plan drafted in any office in Washington or elsewhere.

David Bellavia, who won a Silver Star in Iraq and has been recommended for a Medal of Honor, says Murtha and other Democrats ought to apologize to U.S. forces in Iraq for their repeated claims that the Army is beaten, living hand-to-mouth and doomed to defeat.

Yet the Democratic position, far from being an isolated act of political cynicisms, is something far worse and more disturbing. It is a clear signal that the party still hasn't learned the folly of believing more in blueprints than in people.

The recent burst of anti-Bush and antiwar rhetoric marks the advent not of another Vietnam, but of another Carteresque interlude. Jimmy Carter underestimated the prowess of American workers, fighters and entrepreneurs. In so doing, he all but destroyed his party, handing history's mantle to Ronald Reagan. If nothing else, Jack Murtha's ascent to stardom proves that Democrats, having learned nothing from history, intend to repeat it.

Tony Snow is the host of the 'Tony Snow Show' on Fox News Radio

[msnimje]

...as if having a plan were superior to having a clue.

Tony make me laughy!

[GeronL]

Is there a comprehensive list of conservative organizations, institutes, foundations, legal groups et al online somewhere???

[kingattax]

this might help

http://www.politixgroup.com/co.htm

[GeronL]

thanks

[kingattax]

youre welcome. i found this also:


http://www.therightvoice.org/newlinks/default.htm

[Gordongekko909]

"They believe human events unfold in a neat and predictable manner. Call it the Theory of Human Orderliness."

Marxists call it Historical Materialism.

[dmeara]

I just dig Tony Snow. I know he recently had his colon removed. There is just something of good character about him. My prayers are with him. Great article.

[Zacs Mom]

How To Tell Democrats From Terrorists
By Dr. Brooks A. Mick

It sure isn't easy to differentiate Democrats from terrorists these days.

1) Both Democrats and terrorists want American troops out of Iraq.

2) Both Democrats and terrorists hate George W. Bush.

3) Both Democrats and terrorists claim American troops are killing and harassing innocent women and children in Iraq.

4) Both Democrats and terrorists claim American troops are an occupying force.

5) Both Democrats and terrorists claim that the war in Iraq was all about oil.

6) Both Democrats and terrorists claim that Bush lied to get the congress to agree to the war against Saddam.

7) Both Democrats and terrorists claim that America is losing the war in Iraq.

8) Both Democrats and terrorists claim that Bush "rushed" into the war, and neither appears to have noticed the year of delay while gathering numerous UN and congressional resolutions and authorizations.

But, to be sure, there is one way to tell Democrats from terrorists: Democrats claim that they support the troops, while terrorists don't.

[mylife]

The only flaw in the Orderliness Hypothesis is that it doesn't work if people are present. The war on poverty looked great on paper. It failed miserably in real life.

Its a quagmire I tells ya!

[highlander_UW]

So then the difference is the terrorists are honest and the democrats are not.

[mylife]

John Kerry boasted dozens of times in his debates with George W. Bush that he had a plan -- for everything: dental care, tree planting, street paving, book binding, teen rutting, mass transit, air circulation, steel production ... you name it. He announced these schemes with a sense of triumph, as if having a plan were superior to having a clue.

The recent burst of anti-Bush and antiwar rhetoric marks the advent not of another Vietnam, but of another Carteresque interlude. Jimmy Carter underestimated the prowess of American workers, fighters and entrepreneurs. In so doing, he all but destroyed his party, handing history's mantle to Ronald Reagan. If nothing else, Jack Murtha's ascent to stardom proves that Democrats, having learned nothing from history, intend to repeat it.

Absolutely excellent commentary from Mr Snow!

[DieHard the Hunter]

> But, to be sure, there is one way to tell Democrats from terrorists:
> Democrats claim that they support the troops, while terrorists don't.

D*m'n straight.

May God bless all who serve in Uniform and keep 'em safe from harm this Christmas season. Return them home victorious and happy and in good health to a grateful nation and to their Families once the job is done.

Amen, so be it.

[mware]

If there was any question about how the cut and run crowd has affected Iraq and the terrorist. Here is the proof.

The insurgents clearly still enjoy widespread support in Fallujah, but are mentioned only indirectly and always as the muqawama — “resistance” — rarely as “terrorists”.

One youth, giving his name only as Firas, proclaimed their achievements. “Because of the resistance the Democratic Party in America has started calling to withdraw US troops from Iraq,” he said, smiling. “That’s what the resistance has achieved.”

[goldstategop]

This morning there is deathly silence over the Iraqi election from the MSM and Lefty blogosphere. Success and good cheer is literally killing them and mucking up all their cut and run plans. Yeah, plans! HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[mware]

Tony Snow bump

[Mind-numbed Robot]

This is another excellent article by Tony Snow but unfortunately he, like many others, misses the mark.

They believe human events unfold in a neat and predictable manner.

If they do it is only the useful idiots who do, not the real schemers who send out the Talking Points and plot behind the scenes.

All of their plans, from the income tax of 1913, the government works programs of the '30s, the tailoring of WWII to accommodate the USSR, the loss of China to the Communists, the stalemates of Korea and Vietnam, the Great Society Programs, the Jimmy Carter giveaways, the Clinton treason, the feminists, the ACLU, the NAACP, the National Council of Churches, the NEA and the destruction of our education system, the labor unions, the trial lawyers, and now the full Democrat Party, are following a plan laid out in writing by Karl Marx and followed by Lenin, Stalin, and their successors.

These are not the actions of naive do-gooders but of cold-blooded plotters to take over the world. They support the terrorists and any others who are against America. The Communists have abandon their failed economic model but not their world ambitions.

I suppose people like Tony, Rush, Hannity, etc., don't want to be labeled rightwing kooks so they avoid saying it, but surely they must know it.

[wouldntbprudent]

Tony's on fire here!

Although it's been difficult to stomach, and actually detrimental to the war effort, there is a long-term positive effect to the Rats' anti-war bleating these long months.

First, John F. Kerry succeeded, in spades, in educating and convincing the entire next generation (many of whom, actually, were paying attention) that the Rats are indeed soft on defense and cannot be trusted with national defense.

Although a sizable percentage of the electorate voted for sKerry, many of those voters were long-time party-line Democrats, some even comprising the FDR Democrate crowd, who really hasn't gotten a clue about where the party is today or who, regardless, cannot bring themselves to vote Republican no matter what.

Entry-level voters, however, (beyond college students who, for whatever reason, tend in large numbers to remain stuck on stupid---susceptible to the strains of Kum By Ya---until they enter the real world), were treated to a raucaus, rip-roaring, ultimately factual discussion on just what it means to be "anti-war" in the Rat sense.

A whole generation of Viet Nam vets finally opened up and started talking to their children and friends, explaining in deeply personal and no uncertain terms just what how supremely foolish---and dangerous---the Rat "understanding" of national security issues is.

On top of that, history is busy endowing the rising generation of voters and leaders with personal, hands-on education on when war actually is appropriate and why freedom is the ultimate answer to our national security needs.

Millions of young men and women serving now all over the world, but especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, will NEVER forget what they saw and experienced and accomplished there.

Fifty years from now when Iraq is a huge bastion of freedom and prosperity, they will think quietly to themselves, "I had a hand in that."

To be sure, not all of today's veterans will accept the conservative view of national security. But many will. And, coupled with their personal experience, they will powerfully convey their understanding to their children, their friends, their leaders.

They will raise a next generation that will be even more informed on why the "anti-war" bleats of the Left actually constitute "anti-Americanism" more than anything else.

The Rats' present cut and run pose will bite them in the buttocks even sooner, though. The commercials in 2006 and 2008 will be incredible.

Moreover, by then, it's quite likely the world, if not the U.S., will have to deal with Iran. If yet another large threat by Islamofascists has to be put down by military force in the next year or so, the Rats will look even stoopider. If that's posssible.

[wouldntbprudent]

On my point about Iran, a little tidbit.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1541575/posts

[astounded]

Jack Murtha is a despicable fraud, in the same vein as John Kerry. I would like to see him under investigation by the Swiftboat Vets. He is another made-by-the media "hero".

[Zacs Mom]

"These are not the actions of naive do-gooders but of cold-blooded plotters to take over the world. They support the terrorists and any others who are against America. The Communists have abandon their failed economic model but not their world ambitions."

I agree! I believe are under attack from an enemy within far more ruthless and far more insidious than are the terrorist.

On this topic, you might find this an interesting read:
'The Origins of Political Correctness' ~ An Accuracy in Academia Address by Bill Lind

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Excellent article and great link. He certainly hits the nail on the head. A couple of things that are pertinent currently.

The stuff we’ve been hearing about this morning – the radical feminism, the women’s studies departments, the gay studies departments, the black studies departments – all these things are branches of Critical Theory. What the Frankfurt School essentially does is draw on both Marx and Freud in the 1930s to create this theory called Critical Theory. The term is ingenious because you’re tempted to ask, "What is the theory?" The theory is to criticize. The theory is that the way to bring down Western culture and the capitalist order is not to lay down an alternative. They explicitly refuse to do that.

In conclusion, America today is in the throws of the greatest and direst transformation in its history. We are becoming an ideological state, a country with an official state ideology enforced by the power of the state. In "hate crimes" we now have people serving jail sentences for political thoughts. And the Congress is now moving to expand that category ever further. Affirmative action is part of it. The terror against anyone who dissents from Political Correctness on campus is part of it. It’s exactly what we have seen happen in Russia, in Germany, in Italy, in China, and now it’s coming here. And we don’t recognize it because we call it Political Correctness and laugh it off. My message today is that it’s not funny, it’s here, it’s growing and it will eventually destroy, as it seeks to destroy, everything that we have ever defined as our freedom and our culture.

However, those aren't the only topical things. It is a good summary of where we are and how we got here.

[Zacs Mom]

Now if we can just figure out how to stop it and put this country back on track!! I think the first step in that direction is to address what has happened in the "communications" industry.

Most of what we read in our papers, magazines and books, as well as what we see on television, is the product of only a handful of giant corporations.

Under the Clinton Administration (and despite laws specifically designed to prevent it) merger after merger took place until finally, by the end of the millennium, a handful of mega-corporations totally controlled the flow of news, information and entertainment within this country ~
this includes books, magazines, television, newspapers, movies, music, internet access, etc.,etc.  

The actual number of corporations dominating most of every mass medium dropped, under clinton's administration, from from 23 media firms to 6 mega-media corporations by the Spring of 2000!

But even this number is deceiving ~ the power and influence of these mega-conglomerates is understated by counting them as 'six.' In reality, these six are actually intertwined ~ they own stock in each other, they cooperate in joint media ventures, and among themselves they divide profits from some of the most widely viewed programs on television, cable and movies.

  As foreseen by the Supreme Court in 1945, this consolidation of power and control has been to the detriment of us all as the media role has shifted to undermining the function of true democracy.

I think the legislative branch of our government owes it to the citizens of this nation to address and correct the unlawful actions taken under the clinton administration which left the flow of information to the public at large in the hands of a very few mega-corporations.

[kenavi]

America today is in the throws(sic) of the greatest and direst transformation in its history

It makes me want to "throes" up!

[kenavi]

Yet the Democratic position, far from being an isolated act of political cynicisms, is something far worse and more disturbing. It is a clear signal that the party still hasn't learned the folly of believing more in blueprints than in people.

DemKopfs! (slapping my forehead)

[<1/1,000,000th%]

They believe human events unfold in a neat and predictable manner. Call it the Theory of Human Orderliness. The idea is that one can harness the insights of science and the methods of engineering to perfect societies.

Except that the left-wing doesn't apply this to themselves.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

America today is in the throws(sic) of the greatest and direst transformation in its history

It makes me want to "throes" up!

Did I do that? I am not above it but I don't remember it nor can I find it.

[PsyOp]

"Victory is not a strategy." - Congressman Jack Murtha, (D-PA).

"The original means of strategy is victory--that is tactical success--it's ends, in the final analysis, are those objects which will lead directly to peace." - Karl von Clauswitz, On War, 1832.

"Victory alone is not everything — but is it not, after all, what really counts?" - Karl von Clauswitz, On War, 1832.

Clauswitz Quoted
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/focus/news/672976/posts

[kenavi]

Did I do that? I am not above it but I don't remember it

You can't use this excuse as I taken out a copyright on it. (In answer to yr question, see post #22, 1st sentence of last italicized paragraph.)

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Thanks. I looked hard but couldn't find it. However, thank goodness it is an error by the esteemed Mr. Tony Snow. The part in italics was taken directly from his article. The regular text is mine. Good catch, though.

I am usually embarrassed by making much more glaring and elementary mistakes than that.

[Fledermaus]

Exactly right.

I've been using this tagline for about two months now.

[Tunehead54]

Reference bump. Thanks! ;-)