Posted by
Horizon on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:46:40 PM
A student of history, McCain may have read the following from Rex Warner's "The Young Caesar": "I began to get a reputaion of a very different kind. Stories were told of my incredible feats of horsemanship, of the rivers which I had swum across, of my endurance of heat and cold and hunger, of the care I took of my men, of their zeal for the undertaking of impossibilities, of the recklessness with which I myself would, at critical moments, expose myself to danger" (p. 229, 1958, Mentor Edition).
Some of this fits McCain--also the paragraph preceding it which states Caesar's reputation for womanizing. (Jimmy Carter, I too, knew womanizing, and you're no womanizer.)
"Apart from the delight I discovered in physical exertion and in the sharing of danger, hardship and exultation, I also found the new way of life satisfying and enchanting from an intellectual and spiritual point of view. I had already exercised my faculties in the difficult and devious process of Roman politics; but in this military command it seemed to me that will, initiative, intellect and resolution could operate more honorably and with greater precision. This is not, I think, because the problems of a military commander are simpler than those of a statesman, or that he is more free from external control. It is rather a question of urgency; for, whether his problems are simple or not, they must be dealt with immediately and continuously; and, however free he may be from the supervision of others, he is directly and again continuously controlled by the necessity for keeping himself and his men alive, strong and ready for action" (229).
By the way, UBL as a commander in chief understands this well; he also understands he made a huge strategic blunder in 9/11 (according to Peter Bergen, expert on UBL). But note how things have changed from Roman times and even from Cold War times: al-Qaeda relies on suicide as a weapon, and its supply of this weapon shows no sign of diminishing. To continue with Rex Warner's "The Young Caesar":
"Though, ideally speaking, we fight wars for the sake of peace, there is a sense in which war has more reality than peace can ever have" (229).
My comment is this: McCain brought his "wild" personality into the Navy with him; he brought his intense and serious side too--it is the other side of the coin. The Hanoi Hilton and the release from this final nightmare only exacerbated his LOVE OF THE FIGHT (not to mention the womanizing). Soldiers who survive the deadliest combat remark that "nothing" equals the "thrill" as it were of this "rush." This weird adrenalin rush of mixtures of fear, overcoming fear and the word Warner uses, "exulttion." Now, this:
"Life, death and honor, when pressing constantly upon one, have a different meaning from that in which these words are used in speeches before the people or the senate. In warfare the whole personality is engaged at every moment. Survival will depend on instantaneous decisions and on the real dexterity and perseverance both of body and of mind. Even unworthy characters can be great in war; they can become, as it were, better than they should be and can genuinely and generously share in the determination, the disappointments and the triumphs of others who are more courageous and intelligent than themselves" (229). I'll stop quoting there, but what follows will have you on the edge of your seat!
Question: Is this what it means to be a "hawk"? The idea of McCain as commander-in-chief in the current context (radical dependence on foreign oil) concerns me and should concern you.
***************************************************************************************************
p.s. Barack's recent lipstick comment was probably subliminally "suggested" by Bill Clinton in a phone conversation with Barach. It is the kind of down home and colorful remark that Clinton loves to use. If it was not put in Barack's ear by Bill, it should have been--if he wants to help Hillary in 2012! Dick Morris, you prophet you! And Obama--you fool for repeating that expression given by the former Razorback professor! The nail is now in the coffin of the Culture of Death so ably represented by Obama and the Clintons, for now. I mean, Obama is over. Let us hope and pray that McPalin overhauls our faulty foreign policy from A to Z. Truly, truly, we need to put Country First! Recommended reading for Governor Palin: "The Limits of Power" by Dr. Andrew Bacevich, who lost a son in Iraq.