The Current Buzz

Deborah Venable

05/11/06

That high-tension wire of media driven public opinion is once again abuzz with indignation, accusation, and provocation for a president who dares to try to do his job as he sees fit. One more log on the agenda fire for those politicians seeking to either distance themselves from or call for a crippling of this administration is the current outcry against Bush’s choice to replace outgoing Porter Goss with Michael Hayden as head of the CIA. This one is somewhat puzzling to me if I try to make anything of the opposition to the general except one more swipe at George W. Bush. The whole argument against a military man heading the organization makes no sense when you consider that this recommendation is not without precedent, nor void of qualifications. Here is just one example of the wide disparity of opinion that exists presently in the Senate:

"You can't have the military control most of the major aspects of intelligence," said Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who is on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The CIA "is a civilian agency and is meant to be a civilian agency," she said on ABC's "This Week."

But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a former Navy pilot, said other military members have been head of the CIA, a position that he called "the toughest job in Washington."

"This is a very important and key post and I hope [lawmakers] will recognize that General Hayden is a very qualified individual and he is the president's selection," McCain said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "General Hayden is more of an intelligence person than he is an Air Force officer."

(Source for quotes)

Okay, so how in the world Senator Feinstein can even make the statements she did, I have no idea. She is not only showing her bias, but especially her ignorance. I don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with Senator McCain on a lot these days, but he has it right on this one.

This, to me, is just one more example of the president fighting fire with fire – and why shouldn’t he? He has certainly taken a lot of criticism over the wiretapping issue without backing down, so it only makes sense for him to come up with someone who has shown the same strong convictions. Porter Goss has, in some opinions, done more harm than good during his short tenure, perhaps because he just wasn’t up to the task, or perhaps for the same reason that plagues anyone Bush places into a high profile position – the fact that he was a Bush choice. That is all it takes these days.

Getting back to the whole anti-military argument, though, the whole concept of intelligence gathering and analyzing IS military in its very nature. A large percentage of intelligence specialists cut their teeth on the subject in military intelligence environments before pursuing their careers as civilians. Just obtaining a security clearance as an intelligence agent requires a military-like lip-sealing oath for Pete’s sake! And let’s not forget that the purpose of both the military and the CIA is to handle foreign threat assessment and response. So what’s the justification for saying that anything or anyone military should not have a “controlling” interest in the CIA?

I have previously written that there are far too many secrets kept from the public, but given the current political and national security environment in this country, it is easy to justify keeping the public’s nose out of certain necessary policies to fight the terror war. Too much of the public doesn’t even believe there are legitimate terror concerns, much less understand that they must be vigilantly fought! It is absolutely frightening the number of people who don’t see that Communism is an enemy to the American way of life – as well as the jihad gung-hoers who want as many American heads on their platters as possible. So, like it or not, we do need the best intelligence gathering analysts we can come up with. I don’t see this argument over General Hayden taking over for Goss as putting this country’s best interests ahead of political opportunism.

Once upon a time American citizens received a well-rounded education, and thus understood a lot more about the way the world works. However, that time is sadly gone, so we have instead a populace that believes they know more, but actually know less than Americans ever have. It is this void of understanding and intelligence that has created a climate that threatens America every day and most certainly threatens the future of our progeny.

When people are so blinded by an unfounded hatred of an elected administration that they cannot abide anything associated with it or any decisions it makes, this is the first step toward assuring our downfall. It seems to me that the percentages are all off here. The percentage of people who take a meaningful interest in electing our representatives of this government does not jive with the percentage of complainers who wish to hobble any actions taken by those representatives to support our national interests in the international world. Where were these people during the election process? Of course, there are so many who have trouble identifying their own core principles, that if they do participate in elections, they are more than willing to declare at a later date that their choices did not live up to expectations. This has contributed to a narrowing of choices and the necessity too many times of electing the lesser of the evils. I firmly believe that is exactly what has been done repeatedly in the recent past.

Finding people who are willing to run for office on defending core principles and then following through if they are elected, is getting harder and harder, but I have seen no evidence to suggest that the current president has not “followed through” with defending his stated core principles. Furthermore, the people he surrounds himself with by appointment are of the highest caliber in defending those principles also. When obvious mistakes are made, i.e. Harriet Myers, i.e. Porter Goss, they are discovered and repaired.

Let us take a look at some of these core principles specifically:

“We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.” G. W. Bush – Second Inaugural Address

Has this president wavered one iota from that stated belief? I hardly think so.

He continued: “America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time.”

Have you seen this president pull back in the least from this stated belief in the purpose of America’s mission? These are not the words of a “Hitler” for God’s sake! The war we are fighting is for and in America’s interest. Why do so many insist on demeaning the president and this country for simply following through with his beliefs?

This next excerpt gets down to the heart of the matter and defines the difference in what we, as Americans, do and what defines imperialism - too bad that so many cannot tell the difference.

“So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way. The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.”

It is at this point that we lose the uninformed, the media misguided, the hopelessly ignorant, and the solicitous socialists, for those refuse to believe that things are better and getting better all the time.

“Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.”

Remember, this was George W. Bush’s address after having been re-elected. He had waged a campaign based on reiterating his beliefs and won, but he certainly was aware of his opposition.

“From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.”

These are not the words of a president who has “lied” to anyone or is a bumbling fool, as many on the left and even in his own party would have you believe. These are the words of someone who believes in what he says. If you are so foolish as to not allow yourself to see that, then you fit in one of the aforementioned categories that refuse to believe simple facts.

Perhaps the next excerpt illustrates the largest stumbling block for this president:

“When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.”

In five sentences, the re-elected president sealed his fate with secularist, revisionist America. The gauntlet was laid down and the battle to cripple Bush began.

It is amazing that people cannot hold onto truth at least long enough for it to become a filter for everything they are exposed to by the enemies of this country. Instead, they substitute the filter of truth for the funnel of negative punditry and eagerly satiate their thirst for “knowledge” with the tainted liquor of propaganda.

George W. Bush is a human being, so therefore he is not without faults. But given the choices we had in the last two presidential elections, we made the right choice, America. If our enemies, and indeed some of our so-called friends, would have had to deal with any of this man’s opponents, I fear we would have been so much worse off today than we are. The only times I have seen this president waver from his stated core principles is when he is trying to “just get along” with his domestic enemies – you know, the ones who are trying to convince the rest of us that he is evil incarnate and a bumbling idiot at the same time.

General Hayden and President Bush support their actions in the “NSA wiretapping” issue because they are right – not because they wish to obfuscate the Constitution. No illegality exists in these actions. There is no warrantless search violation and the data gathering being done is reasonable. Further attacks on America have been avoided, due in part to the intelligence analyzed through these actions. Now, however, thanks to all the “whistle” blowhards and their media counterparts, our enemies have the chance to re-evaluate and adjust their methods of communication, and they are doing so. My advice would be – let the general and the president do what they can to compensate for the damage that has been done and hope to God that whomever replaces them in the future will be of a better caliber than the choices we have had in the past.

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