Posted on 03/31/2003 5:18:43 PM PST by UnklGene
America's Quiet Patiotism (Filed: 01/04/2003)
To say the military assault on Iraq is an American war does not detract from the bravery of our soldiers, or the courage of the Prime Minister in committing forces to a cause he believes to be just as well as necessary. But it is an American war in that no other country could conceivably launch a land, sea and air assault on this scale half-way around the world.
It is an American war in the sense that while the toppling of Saddam Hussein has long been a dream at some of the more hawkish Washington think tanks, the war would not have been launched had the United States not been singled out for state-sponsored terrorist attack 18 months ago.
Given the frenzied mutterings of much of the British media and allied pundits, it is just as well this is an American war. Opinion polls show American public support for the war has risen, not fallen, since the fighting started. Rallies supporting the troops are being held all over America to counter any impression that might be given by the anti-war protests in the larger American cities.
Americans know instinctively that once soldiers' lives are at risk on the orders of their commander-in-chief, the President, the debate must stop. They understand that, as that enduring old saw goes, politics stops at the water's edge.
Many in Britain like to mock the excessive manifestations of American patriotism. But how our soldiers in southern Iraq must envy their American counterparts in their knowledge of unquestioned support back home. In its desire to be seen to be backing the troops, the American heartland is not lapsing into anti-Muslim bloodlust. The emphasis at the patriotic rallies is much more on getting the job done than kicking Saddam's butt.
This mature, restrained public support is President George W Bush's greatest asset in a campaign that is proving harder than some had hoped. The notion, much beloved of us here, that the Americans are tremendous "cry babies" is gainsaid in this war. Because American popular support is not pumped up by unrealistic expectations, it should endure long enough for the forces on the ground to achieve their goals.
American public opinion is actually displaying more of the phlegm traditionally associated with the British than are our media. The British press has sought domestic American jingoism, but almost in vain.
True, clever, cosmopolitan Americans are forswearing the wines of Bordeaux; Air Force One has rebranded its French toast "Freedom toast"; but there is something of a tease about some of these gestures. The sense of anger towards Paris is real, but widely misinterpreted. Americans are flaunting their dismay at the French not because they wish to be unilateralist, but because they would much rather not act alone.
That is what makes the British contribution to this war so crucial; since it is so crucial, we at home have a duty to hold as steady as our troops on the ground.
We would be ecstatic if the French were good guys. But they've chosen to hang with the baddies.
That is what makes the British contribution to this war so crucial; since it is so crucial, we at home have a duty to hold as steady as our troops on the ground.
And God bless your fine nation, and your brave lads and lasses.
Perhaps, in the wake of the (probably) inevitable collapse of the UN, we can take a fine idea from Robert Conquest: form a loose confederation of English-speaking nations based on a shared cultural, lingusitic, and legal heritage. So far, the English-speaking countries have managed to avoid the worst of the collectivst and totalitarian impulses of the last century; however, many nations seem hell-bent on repeating them. Perhaps we should consider Ben Franklin's sage advice: let us hang together, lest we all hang separately.
Well, heck, they haven't been looking hard enough at Free Republic! ;-)
We DO appreciate our allies and their sacrifices. I have certainly shed tears over their losses as well as ours AND have delighted in their successes in the battlefield. While 100% American, I can tell you that I'm darned proud of my Scottish ancestry as I read the accounts of the Desert Rats!!!
After this war ends, we may be surprised at the silent, yet crucial support we have also received from nations unnamed at this time.
Any outsider would get this impression when America is communicated to them by ABC, NBC, NPR and CNN. Of Course, these liberal organizations are filled with crybabies. But the outside does not see the otherside of America which is not a big crybaby.
Almost every day I laugh at how much Fox News must be totally pi$$ing off the liberals.
And those standing beside us! Thank you.
I second that, here here! We love you British conservatives. Bang up job. Tell your friends.
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