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Winston Churchill: The Man Who Saved Civilization
NRO ^ | Rich Lowry

Posted on 12/30/2017 4:47:10 AM PST by RoosterRedux

In a key episode, Churchill went to the larger Cabinet and won overwhelming approval for his stalwartness. Here, he made his famous statement, “We shall go and we shall fight it out, here or elsewhere, and if at last the long story is to end, it were better it should end, not through surrender, but only when we are rolling senseless on the ground.” 

After the war, Churchill wrote of the reaction of his colleagues: “Quite a number seemed to jump up from the table and came running to my chair, shouting and patting me on the back. There is no doubt had I at this juncture faltered at all in leading the nation, I should have been hurled out of office.” 

He didn’t falter. Churchill tapped into and built up the resolve of the British people. “There was a white glow,” he wrote later, “overpowering, sublime, which ran through our island from end to end.” Hitler wouldn’t neutralize the British, who escaped Dunkirk and kept up the fight.

The so-called Great Man theory of history might be overly simplistic, but history indisputably has its great men. Darkest Hour does justice to one of them. 

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: churchill; darkesthour; garyoldman; winstonchurchill
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To: RoosterRedux
Cute Churchill quote:

I like pigs.

'Dogs look up to us. cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals'


41 posted on 12/30/2017 10:49:08 AM PST by patriot08 (5th generation Texan-(girl type) SEE MY TEXAS PAGE!)
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To: patriot08
In one of the many Churchill bios I have loved (The Last Lion in this case), Churchill was at Chartwell (he was not PM at this point) and was speaking with the Lord Chancellor on the phone in the front hall niche (back when phones were in a tiny niche in the foyer).

A heated disagreement ensued.

At the same time, one of Churchill's cats (Mickey) was playing with the phone cord during the conversation.

Churchill to his cat: "Get off the line you fool!"

The Lord Chancellor thought Churchill was speaking to him.

Churchill quickly correct the situation: "Not you Lord Chancellor... Mickey, my cat was on the line."

Churchill gave Mickey the foot but chased him down and apologize profusely, proudly announcing to his valet the next morning, all is well, Mickey came to visit me this morning. And I am forgiven.

42 posted on 12/30/2017 2:41:40 PM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

I was young at the time but I remember when Churchill died. I have only the vaguest memories of the Kennedy assassination but Winston left this mortal coil a bit more than a year later and I still remember the newspaper front page with his picture and the bold headline saying Man Of The Century Dies. True words.


43 posted on 12/30/2017 4:56:19 PM PST by xp38
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To: Bull Snipe

And like I hinted at, then proceeded to enslave half the known world for 60 years...

Whew! Saved the world they did!


44 posted on 12/30/2017 5:46:07 PM PST by Manly Warrior (US ARMY (Ret), "No Free Lunches for the Dogs of War")
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To: avital2
true- but during the period covered by this movie, FDR had US on the sidelines, even turning Churchill down when he requested help. with the fall of much of Europe around him and no US aid Churchill stood starkly alone on the world stage.

FDR's hands were tied, the mood in the country was solidly isolationist. Listen to FDR's "Arsenal of Democracy" speech in December of 1940, he was literally begging for us to get into the war, and frankly I think FDR was hoping that the Axis would declare war on the US, and get it over with.

45 posted on 12/30/2017 5:48:33 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: SgtHooper

It was a team effort.

Britain stood alone and withstood Hitler.

Russia bled Germany white.

And the US had the manpower and production capabilities to finish the job.

It took all three at various times to get the job done.


46 posted on 12/30/2017 5:50:49 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Manly Warrior

Churchill was the only one in the early 1930s that knew the threat Hitler was, and he was laughed at and ridiculed and almost run out, and that was by his own party.


47 posted on 12/30/2017 5:52:22 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

a good analysis. It took the combined military and industrial power of the United States, the Soviet Union and the British Empire to destroy the Nazi regime in Germany.


48 posted on 12/30/2017 6:27:58 PM PST by Bull Snipe
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To: Manly Warrior

would you have preferred 10 million Americans and Brits to have died against the Germans instead of Russians.


49 posted on 12/30/2017 6:34:46 PM PST by Bull Snipe
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To: dfwgator

yes - he was bound by neutrality act - and unable to change the mood of the country. i don’t know about your presumption - he could have done much much more, especially to help the Jews.


50 posted on 12/31/2017 3:18:56 AM PST by avital2
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To: Bull Snipe

Once again, the two are separate issues, I am glad the Russians et al fought the Germans too, but I do not attribute the liberation of Western Europe and the enslavement of Eastern Europe as similar victories....

Do you?


51 posted on 12/31/2017 8:31:33 AM PST by Manly Warrior (US ARMY (Ret), "No Free Lunches for the Dogs of War")
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To: Manly Warrior

My only comment applied to WWII. you brought up post WWII.
Without the Russians, there may not have even been a Liberation of Western Europe.


52 posted on 12/31/2017 8:39:34 AM PST by Bull Snipe
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To: Bull Snipe

Sir, you cannot prove a negative. Conjecture at best.

What happened, happened.

The fact is the US was the impetus and mass effect that won the war and liberated Western Europe. Another fact was the Nazis/Axis were confronted by two major opponents.

More than one US general thought the logical conclusion would be war with Russia to liberate Eastern Europe- they were military men. The politicians sliced and diced E Europe to placate the Russians, the Poles wanted nothing to do with that plan, among other ex pats.

I take nothing from the Russian serviceman/woman as far as the war against the Nazis go. After that, they became our enemies and the forced occupiers of formerly free countries.

Indeed, I learned that the Russian citizen was taught that the US were the villains for occupying W Europe- that they were protecting Russian territory from the mad Americans who wanted Siberia or something and I was one of them! (FRG 84-87). Viewpoint and disinformation I suppose.

Happy New Year and Peace to you and yours.


53 posted on 12/31/2017 10:15:09 AM PST by Manly Warrior (US ARMY (Ret), "No Free Lunches for the Dogs of War")
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To: Manly Warrior

“I take nothing from the Russian serviceman/woman as far as the war against the Nazis go.” That has been my point all along.


54 posted on 12/31/2017 10:22:21 AM PST by Bull Snipe
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To: DoodleDawg

I look forward to seeing the darkest hour. I am watching The Crown on NetFlix, a lot on post-war Churchill and Lithgow’s performance is impressive.


55 posted on 12/31/2017 10:25:32 AM PST by morphing libertarian (Build Kate's Wall)
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To: HotHunt
Gary Oldman was a spot-on Churchill in the Darkest Hour. I saw the movie this last week and he deserves a crack at the Best Actor award. I could not for the life of me see Gary Oldman in this character. His portrayal for Winston Churchill is so good, you think you were seeing the real man brought back alive. Very believable. Magnificent performance. I highly recommend it to the FR crowd.

Totallly agree with you. We saw it yesterday & highly recommend it.

56 posted on 01/02/2018 7:03:09 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
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