Posted by
John Caccese on Friday, August 11, 2006 11:52:17 AM
As a conservative, from spending to immigration to social policies, there's lots to disagree with when it comes to appraising the tenure of George Bush as President. Given what's happened over the course of the last couple of days however, much of that criticism suddenly seems irrelevant to me.
Why?
The recent revelations of a terror plot to blow multiple planes out of the sky next week (next week!!) and the arrests of the would-be perpetrators gives me pause. We're in a horrible war, a silent one, a deadly one its the kind of war we need to be prepared to fight over the course of many years. I'm glad we have George Bush at the helm right now, and I pray we as citizens have the courage to elect someone who'll continue his good works when 2008 rolls around.
There's another phase of what I think is really the same war going on in Israel . . . and there's another critic of the Bush administration who's a long-time successful democrat and former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, who understands what's going on as well. He writes on George Bush in this morning's Real Clear Politics. Here's one part of his message:The Islamic terrorism represented by Hezbollah and others will one day
threaten the entire world. Islamic fanatics have already engaged in
terrorist acts in the U.S., England, Spain, India, Kenya, Tanzania,
Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan
and others. Israel should be applauded for fighting international
terrorism and using its military forces in Lebanon to confront the
terrorist infrastructure after Hezbollah launched a military attack
across the Lebanese-Israeli border on July 12th.
It's a long and ever-growing list of countries. Koch has also recognized that Israel is doing the right thing by going after Hezbollah to make sure they won't be able to attack in so wanton a manner next time. Here's what else Koch recognizes:
Instead, Israel has been criticized by a number of countries in the
European Union that seek to make it difficult for the Israeli army to
degrade or eliminate Hezbollah. You can count on the French government
to try to deliver Israel into the hands of its enemies. British Prime
Minister Tony Blair deserves enormous credit for standing with the U.S.
against those in and out of his government who have opposed his
willingness to fight international terrorism and his support for the
right of Israel to defend itself against Hezbollah.
I have no doubt, however, that if it were not for the support of
the United States, led by President George W. Bush and Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, many European states would be even more active
in trying to snatch victory from the hands of the Israeli Defense
Forces.
Amen to that, Ed. Here are a few key points to reiterate:
1. Koch recognizes and identifies France as a leading anti-semitic player on the world stage.
2. He recognizes that Great Britain is a force for truth under the wise leadership (for international affairs) by Tony Blair.
3. George Bush is doing his job and doing it well when it comes to dealing with the Israel-Hezbollah crisis.
Koch's conclusions are worthwhile reading for all:
In an effort to limit Israel's victory, the Arab League is seeking
to have the proposed Security Council resolution order Israel to vacate
southern Lebanon before Hezbollah is disarmed and the Lebanese army and
a multinational force is placed there as required by U.N. Resolution
1559. Israel cannot protect its population from a renewal of
Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns if it were to
quit Lebanon before both Lebanon's army and a U.N.-mandated military
force are in place to keep the peace and disarm Hezbollah.
According to The New York Times, President Bush
made the U.S. position clear, "Speaking to reporters from his ranch in
Crawford, Tex., President Bush called for the resolution's speedy
adoption, but made clear that the main sticking point -- Lebanese
insistence that the draft be altered to require Israel to withdraw
troops immediately -- was nonnegotiable."
In my judgment, when history evaluates George W. Bush's position in
the pantheon of presidents, he will be compared with Harry S. Truman.
Bush's fortitude in recognizing the danger of Islamic fundamentalism to
the U.S. and, indeed, the Western world, and his awareness of the need
to win this war of civilizations is remarkable. He deserves the
applause of all Americans and in time he will receive it.
When will people in this country wake up and see that the situation in Israel and Lebanon is our century's version of the late 40s in Europe. I was tempted to say late 30s, but the threat from Hezbollah and radical Islam in general is more analogous to the Soviet Union's sabre rattling and proxy conflicts following World War II than it is to Hitler and his quest for domination of Europe.
Harry Truman recognized the Communist menace and set our nation on the right path. It was a long forty-year plus struggle, mostly bloodless, but with plenty of fighting when and where necessary. I fear this struggle, which George Bush has identified all too clearly for us, will be just as long . . . and probably a lot bloodier as well.