Bill Kristol considers the most dangerous sentence in President Obama’s second inaugural address to be the one endorsing the “lesson” that we are heirs to “those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends …” (emphasis added):
Surely President Obama should have said this: “we are also heirs to those who won the peace as well as the war…” But he didn’t say that. The formulation Obama chose—”and not just the war”—suggests that Obama believes that it’s no big deal to win a war, and the greater achievement is winning the peace. With respect to World War II, this view is ludicrous. With respect to today’s world, this view is dangerous.
We used to end wars responsibly by winning them, and we won the subsequent peace not so much by offering friendship as by occupying defeated foes and transforming their system of government. That is the way those in World War II, to whom we are heirs, did it. But these days we don’t win wars; we leave them behind and announce our pursuit of “peace in our time” by other means. A few sentences after the one cited by Kristol, Obama used what Mannie Sherberg at Boker tov, Boulder! calls “the most infamous, the most ignominious, the most shameful four-word phrase in all of modern history,” in the following paragraph in the inaugural address:
“America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad … We will support democracy … And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice … because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice.” [Emphasis added].
Sherberg also notes Obama’s “utter failure to mention the cardinal fact of our time: that America is at war with a worldwide totalitarian ideology … and that we must therefore, before anything else, make sure we win that war.” Perhaps that is too much to ask from an administration that officially removed the word “jihad” from its vocabulary and changed “terrorism” to “man-caused disasters,” but one wonders what Iran and Israel make of Obama’s use of the phrase “peace in our time” and his failure to state — in his paragraph covering America’s role in the world–that America is prepared to use force, if necessary, against “unacceptable” threats.
It reminds one of Obama’s unfortunate definition in 2009 of the phrase “never again,” which for him has only an aspirational rather than an operational significance–rendering it in his 2009 speech simply a kind of hope for an idyllic time in the future, like “peace in our time.”
"The formulation Obama chose—”and not just the war”—suggests that Obama believes that it’s no big deal to win a war…." n nWhat utter nonsense — and characteristic of the whole article. nBoker tov indeed.
A surer grasp of our history might lead President Obama to realize that some of our greatest "war winners" and "peace winners" are the very same people. For instance: Generals Ulysses S. Grant and George C. Marshall. Magnanimity in victory, rather than "peace in our time" appeasement, is what truly turns enemies into friends. But victory over evil is the indispensible ingredient. How shameful it is that in the year 2013 that lesson has to be re-learned.
Quoting George Marshall Ed? Hes the guy that warned Truman not to get involved in nthe middle east as a partisan of Israels,for it would be nothing but trouble for thenU.S. nif se did,any port in a storm I guess. like our love affairnwith Nixon despite his blatant nanti-semitism for his help in the 1973 Yom Kippur war,or our new found ally in Rand Paul nCome Carter say something nice about Israel ,anything,and all will be forgiven. I guess nthe only one we cant forgive is FDR ,who in my opnion was rrsponsible for the words nHolocaust survivor entering our Lexicon.
regarding: n n…..Obama’s “utter failure to mention the cardinal fact of our time: that America is at war with a worldwide totalitarian ideology … n nand that we must therefore, before anything else, make sure we win that war.” n nPerhaps that is too much to ask from an administration that officially removed the word “jihad” from its vocabulary and changed “terrorism” to “man-caused disasters n ndoes one dare to consider n n THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM n nthat both Obama and his MOST trusted in influential advisor, Valerie Jarrett, both lived in Islamic societies from a very young age. n n In fact Jarrett remarked , her time in Iran was the sweetest in her memory, it was only after she and her family returned to US that she realized she was black. n n n
I am an 89 year old veteran of WW2, with a grandson back from Afghanistan,and slated to be nredeployed in March. Given the undeniable fact that service in an all volunteer army is not nexactly a high priority career track for young American Jews,I cant help but wonder how many nof those posting comments have military service I might add in any ones military. Mr Kristol blasted nthe President in Sundays Times for leaving Iraq prematurely and throwing away our "victory" Realy ntell me please how that obscene conflict has made us more secure,or if you must enhanced Israels nsecurity. This morning at least 25 Iraqis were killed in a Mosque,no longer having American kids to nkill they are back killing each other. The venom you patriots direct at Obama has little to do with nhis domestic agenda but springs from your fears that he is not belligerant enough on Israels behalf. nOne thing Im sure of he will act if necessary,but he certainly does not want to get us involved in nanother war with Moslem country.Americans do not need and do not want another war. No democracy can survive continuos war, not ours,not Israels,war is not the answer,and we must ntake the last step to avoid it. there are two many people making comments who seem always nready to send someone else kids to war,while displaying great talents in avoiding war for themselves nand theirs. n n n
The venom you patriots direct at Obama has little to do with nhis domestic agenda but springs from your fears that he is not belligerant enough on Israels behalf. n ntotal horsesh*t n ntoo much effort to demonstrate, and probably a waste of my time n nOne thing Im sure of he will act if necessary,but he certainly does not want to get us involved in another war with Moslem country. n nso they can overrun and slaughter our Ambassadors and citizens with impunity? n nAmericans do not need and do not want another war. No democracy can survive continuos war, not ours,not Israels,war is not the answer,and we must take the last step to avoid it. there are two many people making comments who seem always ready to send someone else kids to war,while displaying great talents in avoiding war for themselves and theirs. n nSi vis pacem, para bellum n nalways important to understand why we are fighting-and why we cannot stop n n…..US diplomats John Adams and Thomas Jefferson during their 1786 meeting with the Tripolitan [Libyan] ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja. n nDuring their discussions, they questioned Ambassador Adja as to the source of the unprovoked animus directed at the fledgling United States republic. Jefferson and Adams, in their subsequent report to the Continental Congress, recorded the Tripolitan Ambassador’s justification: n n… that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise. n nkoran 2:216 n nFIGHTING is ordained for you, even though it be hateful to you; but it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know. n ntry and understand, islam is not like anything you have ever before experienced n n n n
Speaking of horse droppings, your nonsense is once again exposed. n nOn December 20, 1777, Morocco formally recognized the colonies as a unified sovereign nation. n nThis Muslim state was the FIRST in the world to recognize ours, and has remained a good friend ever since. Apparently you didn't know this. n nBTW, Morocco recognizes in its Constitution, and supports in its treasury, two religions: Islam, and Judaism. I have attended synagogue in Casablanca, and saw this for myself. n nYour blanket prejudices are an embarrassment. Or should be.
Time to revisit those Geneva Conventions that make it impossible to ever really win a war, but civil wars are A-OK. nThe US is still legally at war with North Korea.
Charleston,or whatever your name is,your just another vulgar blow hard hiding behind a phony nidentity . You want to fight join the army,they are always looking for "warriors" Better yet go ndown to the nearest Israeli consulate and join the IDF. when one considers the fact that the ndemographic tides runs against them they can use all the help they can get. Dont however nfind new wars to take the lives,or mutilate the minds,and bodies of the Hispanics,Blacks,and nwhite kids from small town America that make up the majority of the butchers bill due from our nEndless wars nMake
The venom you direct….to see vulgar, look in your mirror n nad hominem is not an argument
You accuse me of making a personel attack on you,your quite mistaken if I were to stoop nthst low sonny youd know about it. I did question what seems to be a very bellicose attitude, nand suggested how you could fulfill the warrior in you. I received no answer just another ninsulting reference to my age. I hoeever should not be surprised condidering the role chicken nhawks hsve played in our recent history. n
You wouldn't object if Obama said something in Hebrew, would you? n nFor heaven's sake, get serious. It's a great thing for all our leaders to speak other languages, and to have experienced other cultures. n nJohn Adams read Latin and spoke French. Jefferson, unsurprisingly, had six languages, and books in Arabic (!) and Gaelic were found in his library. James Madison spoke Hebrew (!). Chester A Arthur spoke Latin and Greek. Teddy Roosevelt spoke French, Herbert Hoover spoke Mandarin, FDR spoke German and French, Bill Clinton speaks German, GW Bush speaks Spanish, and Mr Obama also speaks some Indonesian and ASL. n nWe Americans have, per cap, the LOWEST rate of passport ownership of any nation in the First World. This is a sad declaration of our lack of interest in, and knowledge of, anyone but ourselves. Any number of our best televangelists believe that Jesus spoke English… n nToday, it is in our direct interest for a President to speak Mandarin, Arabic, and Hindi. It is where the future lies. Don't be so easily frightened. Most of us feel that learning is a very good thing. Non? n n
regarding: n nYou wouldn't object if Obama said something in Hebrew, would you? n nlolol n nlook up non-sequitur n nred herring n nstrawman argument n nyou have reading comprehension problems!
I wouldn't have to look up 'non sequitur', my friend. I read Latin. n nAnd my rhetorical question does, in fact, follow. You are frightened that an elected official can (evidently) speak a few words of Arabic. But if your fear is not founded on distinct and particular bias, you should be equally concerned that the same official might speak a few words of Hebrew. n nAs you object to the former, but not to the latter, your bias is revealed for all to witness. n nI have no problem reading (and apprehending) your prejudices. Your problem is admitting them.
I could care less about the language he speaks, what scares, if you want to use that term, me is his political ideology, Marxist/Socialist, and his ability sell the poorly educated people of this country that it is the wave of the future. The next President should he/she be conservative is going to have one hell of a time weaning this country off the wellfare habit. If they are not conservative then we are going to be in heap deep Doo-Doo.
And if Obama was heard saying Kaddish in perfect Hebrew, would you also be upset? n nYours is a vile prejudice against one of the world's important languages, spoken by a group of people who contain the same percentage of bigots as our own. n nMuslims have their fundamentalist fanatics, and we have ours. Muslims have their poets and artists, and we have ours. Muslims have murderers and bombers, and we have the bombing of Dresden, the napalming of children, Oklahoma City, Sandy Hook, Aurora and more. In our Dark Ages, the Arab world was the centre of scholarship in medicine, mathematics, geometry — and much more. The bulk of our 5th C BC Greek texts, plays, and treatises survived our Dark Ages in Arab universities. n nIf you had any knowledge of history (you do not), you would pay some respect to a culture of learning and art that was flourishing centuries before our own Italian and English Renaissance. Have you ever been to the Alhambra? It is one of the wold's marvels of architecture and beauty. n nIt is legitimate and right to challenge political orthodoxy in Muslim nations today. It is ridiculous and unworthy to assert that a person who has learned some element of their language is therefore some kind of traitor. n nIslam is one of three great Abrahamic religions. If you had ever read the Koran, you would be astonished by the parallels between that holy text and our own. Alas, this would undermine your base hatreds. n nSome Muslims want to drive the Jews into the sea. Some Jews want to drive the Muslims into oblivion. I cannot see a difference. Hate is hate, no matter who shrieks it.
the Kaddish is not a declaration of faith n nand n nislam is NOT an abrahmic religion…..just because some arab says so, doesn't ,make it so…everything about islam is anathema to Judaism n nmoslams can steal and try to erase the history of the JEws, but " by their fruits shall you know them" n nislam is a political totalitarian system, POSING as religion..what is considered islamic learning, art and culture can be found in Saudi and Yemen, where islam was born.. n nAll other arts and sciences are the product of fabulous civiliations, Byantine, Persian, Hindu and European that the moslams conquered and stole-and the more established islam became in India (pakistan), Turkey or Persia (Iran)…the more backward and primitve and violent these place became. Music, art, science everthing that makes a civiliation exciting DIES when islam is imposed. n nmoslems, where islam is 'pure' and uncorrupted by any other great civiliation create ………….nothing….but violence and chaos and n n
Ahhh, very good. n nYou make my point, and reinforce it, about your vile prejudices better than I could ever hope to do. n nThanks!
you are really quite a bore n nthere is nothing preconceived about my attitude towards, islam and moslems n nThere is not one moslam majority country in this world that is in any way a desireable place to live. The only way they get people there is to offer them more money that they could earn anywhere else. n nAnd then, if they are Christian they have to watch their behavior and keep quiet. n nThe only countiries on earth where people can be arrested and put to death because of their religion, or comments about islam. n nTalk about vile prejudice… n nfeh
What you are describing is exactly what went on during the Catholic Reign of Terror perpetrated against the Albigensian 'Heresy', or during the reign of Savonarola. Have you never heard of the Inquisition? It's what happened in New England during the witch trials of New Salem. You describe precisely pogrom in Tsarist Russia. You describe the forcible conversion of Muslims and Jews in Granada. You describe what is happening in North Korea today. n nAnd you seem to have forgotten entirely our own reign of terror during in the McCarthy witch trials in our own time. Murder may not have resulted, but suicides did. n nWhy do you feel so superior? EVERY culture, for eons, has perpetrated the same calumnies, the same lies, the same blood libels. Every culture has been afraid of The Other. n nYou hate Muslims (perhaps you could learn how to spell the word correctly) in the same way that we ourselves practiced a genocide against native Indians. n nHate is hate, and it has poisoned you. Too bad. n n
The monastic movement, in and of itself was no panacea to the corruption of an institutionalized mystical communion of worshippers–the orders were not immune from the indulgence of wealth or the temptations to internecine factions. But the impulse remains a warning to remain open to the small still voice and not succumb to the temptation of the political moment. A crowd up in arms is a lonely place to find salvation.
Having adopted the concept of moral equivalent, the Western world make victory impossible and prolong conflicts. The Muslims will not abide by this principle if they see the chance to eliminate their enemy. The conflict with the Islamists will not stop unless the providers of funds are eliminate. Right now the Western world, abuse of gas, oil and narcotics, is supporting financially the Islamists war effort against the Western world. The West is that STUPID.
This article makes noise over very little. Sherburg is clearly out of things to criticise the President over. Obama is absolutely right- winning the peace is the MOST important thing, not gloating over enemies. However, taking the word terrorism out of WH vocabulary sand changing it to 'man-caused disasters' is inexplicable. Basic English tells us that man caused disasters could encompass climate change. How can this term be used?
Interestingly, the Civil War ended in victory against the South. It did not definitively overpower a "foe", nor did it reconcile the Southern secessionists into "friends" but the Union was re-established. Instead, in the corrupted "Compromise of 1877", Rutherford B. Hayes, trailing Tilden in the popular and electoral vote. was confirmed as President and Reconstruction was dismantled. The Southern white vote, confirmed Democrat, bolstered by paramilitary vigilantes, began the long hard ascendancy of Jim Crow, effectively unchallenged for a century. Debates over cliches won't get you very far.