Taking The Wind From Our Sails

June 2, 2002

by Christopher G. Adamo

Sixty years ago last month, Colonel James Doolittle flew his famous raid over Tokyo, instantly catapulting himself into war-hero status and securing a permanent place in the annals of aviation history. What is particularly significant about the Doolittle raid is that it was almost purely symbolic, achieving little in the way of any strategic advantage.

This is not to say that the mission was in any way insignificant. Rather, what Doolittle accomplished was to raise the battle flag before the eyes of the American people, who were anxious for an appropriate response to the events of the previous December. Of course, such a gesture would have meant little, had it not been accompanied by the full scale mobilization of American forces throughout Europe and the Pacific. And such mobilization would in no way have been feasible without the accompanying resolve and commitment on the part of the people of this nation.

Few, if any, feared the sort of deficit in national spirit which might undermine an appropriate response. America had been attacked, America’s very existence was threatened. And America needed to neutralize that threat. Less than four years later, the Japanese Empire, and the menace to America it represented, ceased to exist.

Roll the clock forward six decades, and present-day America finds itself in a situation bearing both remarkable similarities and ominous differences to the years of the Second World War. Once again America finds itself the victim of an unprovoked and malicious attack. Once again, the American people immediately reacted by rallying to their leader’s call for unity and resolve. And once again, the people prepared themselves for the inevitability of a long and brutal campaign against an enemy who simply could not be allowed to exist, subsequent to the attacks.

Unfortunately, the initial calls for unity, resolve, and singleness of purpose quickly gave way to complicating distractions and, if this past weekend’s reports are accurate, a complete moral collapse in the "War on Terror." In his speech of September 20, President Bush clearly enunciated the necessary philosophy of the United States in response to those who would perpetrate an outrage on the scale of 9-11. All those who would not stand with America, in its efforts to destroy the sponsors of the attacks and any who support them, would henceforth be regarded as collaborators, and would be dealt with appropriately. America’s course of action was grim and brutal. Nevertheless, it was (and is...) absolutely essential. Any effort short of this goal would ultimately leave in place the necessary logistical and ideological components of a subsequent attack.

To begin with, America needed to take out the main concentration of Al Qaeda camps, along with their sponsors, the Taliban, in Afghanistan. This goal was met with relative ease during the past eight months. Close on its heels however, has been the necessity of removing, once and for all, the malignancy of the present Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein, along with its capabilities of developing biological and nuclear devices which could conceivably inflict far greater suffering and loss on this continent than did the hijackers of last September.

Now America is being told that no plan exists by which to bring down the Iraqi dictator. Many within the Conservative movement are hoping that the President hasn’t once again capitulated on a fundamental issue of principle and character, but is instead engaging in some grand strategy of deception. Unfortunately, in the last half-dozen instances of Presidential backtracking, all hopes that each appalling action might entail some sort of a "ruse," have proven to be in vain.

Little benefit is liable to be derived from a phony claim of indifference to Iraq, other than the continued demoralization of the American people. But this would be a minor consequence in comparison to the possibilities resulting from an actual capitulation by the Bush administration. Not only would the many other militant Muslim nations realize that they need not fear any complicity with Al Qaeda’s future attacks against America, Hussein himself would be unabated in his efforts to inflict pain, suffering, and death on Americans. And his ability to do so increases with the passage of time.

It is altogether inarguable that the aggressive and purposeful response by America has stripped away the facade from the seemingly fearsome membership of Al Qaeda and, to the amazement of many, has revealed them to be nothing more than a ragtag band of loud but largely ineffectual misfits. In like manner, the initial degree of anger and determination to deal with the perpetrators of 9-11 had initially resulted in outright support for America, or timid or conciliatory responses by many nations who have not traditionally been sympathetic to any American interest. Conversely, the evaporation of that resolve in recent weeks has once again emboldened America’s adversaries to revert to their pre-September rhetoric.

In the days and weeks following 9-11, the range of possible responses dwindled down to only two. America would either have to eliminate every individual from the face of the earth, who might be inclined to engage in such an act, or it would have to extract such an enormous cost from those who endorsed or supported the effort, that no organization or nation would ever again want to pay such a price. Since the first option is a logistical impossibility, the only real course of action is the latter. Being that the Country’s leadership has announced its unwillingness to follow such a course, the inevitable consequence, if such things remain unaltered from where they are today, is the absolute assurance of another attack.

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Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming with his wife and sons. He has been involved in grassroots political activity for many years. Chris was the editor of the Wyoming Christian from 1994 to 1996, and his columns can also been seen at CheyenneNetwork.com.

Send the author an E mail at Adamo@ConservativeTruth.org.

For more of Christopher's articles, visit his archives.