Under God, America Will Achieve Victory

The American people have spoken, and they said John Kerry's staying in Massholechussetts. It was my belief that God and our nation's people would not let our nation fold under the current international chaos, yet I still was very nervous while watching the returns last night on TV. Victor Davis Hanson describes the situation best:

"All of our past presidents were, at the moments of their crises, deeply unpopular precisely because they chose the difficult, long-term sacrifice for victory over the expedient and convenient pleas for accommodation (if not outright capitulation). We are faced with just such an option today: a choice between a president whose call for patience and sacrifice promises victory, and a pessimist stirring the people with the assurances that we should not have fought, and now cannot win, the present war in Iraq."

President Bush has been faced with a public mindset towards war that is comparable to that in the Civil War and World War II. During the onset of the Civil War, Union soldiers lost a number of major battles to the Confederates; during WWII, the Americans lost many battles to the Japanese in the opening year. Public opinion was extremely critical of both wars. Many had no qualms over Southern secession. A number of Americans were outraged at America's abandonment of isolationism from what was considered to be "Europe's war." Bush finds himself in a hybrid of the two situations because

a.) he has faced a preemptive attack (9/11) comparable to Pearl Harbor in WWII
b.) he has had as much, if not more, hatred directed towards his unwavering stance on the war than Lincoln in the Civil War

Mr. Bush also finds himself sharing similar situations with the presidents who served during these conflicts: he was reelected. Reading about war history, I have learned of some recurring themes for consideration. If you go to war with Russia, get the fuck out of there before winter sets in; appeasement always fails to stop a determined enemy; France is never a good ally; and Americans are always victorious when they stay the course. When Americans are willing to endure the hardships of war, they win (the Revolutionary, Civil War, Cold War, and World Wars I & II come to mind). Likewise, in the Vietnam War and Somolia, when America failed to push onward, we did not succeed.

If this trend continues, and I believe it will, America will be victorious in the worldwide conflict it now faces. Critics argue that the United States is only intensifying the problems in the Middle East by attempting to bring democracy to the region. Our nation has waged war against Germany, England, Italy, Russia, and Japan. All of these nations have now established some form of democracy; we have not warred with any of them since. Democracy allows for all sides to voice their opinions, making it much more difficult for meaningless conflict to arise. That is why it is crucial for America to exit this conflict victoriously. With the right man for the job in power for another term, I believe that we will do just that.