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"The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration. . .Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against the stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion. "
- Anna Comnena (1083-1153), The Alexiad
"I have taken all knowledge to be my province."
- Francis Bacon, 1592
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Turnaround?
Well, we'll see. There have been premature cries of victory before. But right now I'm much more concerned about the premature cries of defeat, and the spread of Newspeak terms in the rhetorical attempt to mask capitulation.
"Escalation" replaces "reinforcements" in an attempt to de-legitimize any military tactic other than "redeployment" (retreat, withdrawal), and it is taken as given that those employing Newspeak terminology are the "realists" and "truth-tellers" as opposed to "idealogues" and "liars".
It is also asserted that the war is "militarily unwinnable", and that it will take more than military means to reach a "conclusion" of it. There is a grain of truth in that, in the sense that no war is won by military means alone, but it is employed in a deceptive manner to delegitimize the necessity of military pressure as a component of victory (another word rapidly vanishing down the memory hole).
Of course, the war is winnable. But it remains to be seen whether we have the fortitude and commitment to win it, or if our enemies are right about us.
I was heartened by the President calling for a major increase in the strength of the Army and Marines. Let us all hope it is not too late. I have always said such a step should have been taken years ago. But better now than never.
Doubleplusgood Duckspeakers also hold forth that Iraq is a distraction from the war on terror, which they say is in Afghanistan. That simply displays their myopia: As if Afghanistan is the only front in the War. Set Iraq aside for a second and ask "what about Somalia? Algeria? Kashmir? India? Thailand? The Philippines?" and a number of other areas, including within Europe and America, and inclusive if Syria, Iran, and Lebanon, to say nothing of Israel and the Palestinian Territories?
Right now a majority of our country's political establishment's foreign policy views are clearly not to be taken seriously. However, so upside-down is the world that they are considered the ones with the "realist" position.
