When Bill Clinton had just taken office, a student of mine who was in the National Guard expressed his disgust. "There are a lot of military people I know," he said, "who won't accept Bill Clinton as President." It was a course in Constitutional Law, and I found it necessary to scold the young man, which is not something I often do. "Bill Clinton is the Commander in Chief of the Republic," I said sternly, "and the army of the Republic will damn well do what he tells it to do."
The odds suggest that Barack Obama will be our next Commander in Chief. Or maybe it will be John McCain. One man or another will be Captain. By virtue of our sovereign action as voters, he will take charge of the most powerful and prosperous regime the world has yet seen. He will be my President and yours, regardless of how we voted.
But our President is also President of the World. Ralph Peters, writing in the New York Post, has the best election eve comment I have yet seen.
No matter which presidential candidate we choose tomorrow, his decisions to act or not to act will determine not only the safety of our country but the future of the world.
Allies and non-aligned states kick and complain, but expect us to make their boo-boos go away. Ignore the nonsense about America's (oft-predicted and yet to be witnessed) decline: We remain the indispensable power.
Barack Obama may soon learn to appreciate this bit of wisdom:
The greatest danger to the United States and the world isn't from a president who does too much, but from one who does too little - or one who believes that words substitute for deeds. There are times when we must act, and damn the torpedoes.
For our part, we, the people, must accept that we'll never be loved by each last Syrian secret policeman. Jealousy is far too powerful an emotion. If we expect thanks, we'll always be disappointed. We must back our presidents when they do what is right, even if the world does not applaud.
That words and deeds bit is good meat for the man who would negotiate with every cutthroat on the planet. But here is the heart of the essay:
An American president too anxious to please the world is bound to do it great harm. Should the American electorate choose Sen. Barack Obama tomorrow, his first challenge will be deciding which groups of his supporters he'll disappoint first. The struggle against Islamist fanaticism will continue to demand costly, long-term commitments - it isn't a problem we can solve by sending in the San Francisco Police Department.
Without our military leadership, our allies would restrict themselves to defense in the global terror emergency. And you can't win on defense. Nature may abhor a vacuum, but terrorists love one. The demand for disciplined, capable men and women in American uniforms is only going to increase (while economic problems and campaign promises will threaten defense budgets). In this horribly troubled world, our troops remain the ultimate foreign aid. Only they protect us from global darkness.
All the conflict-resolution theories in the world aren't worth a single rifleman with an American flag on his sleeve. Aggressors won't be stopped with earnest petitions, and terrorists don't cower at repartee. As Jimmy Carter learned so very painfully, good will is no substitute for strength.
"All the conflict-resolution theories in the world aren't worth a single rifleman with an American flag on his sleeve." I wish I had written that. I hope Barack Obama reads it.
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