Audience and Actors

Reader GoatGuy comments:

Although I can, have, and will stand in support for the next president, regardless of who he may be, I also am quite certain that Kerry will rapidly and actively "do the Spanish action", even though it actually stands in askance of the liberal left "we don't have enough troops". Kerry intends to have 2 terms, and to do so, he will need to consolidate his stance, to make good to the political entities stateside. The French will cheer, the Germans will be amused, the Russians will be relieved, the Islamics will be overjoyed.

If any tragedy on the order of 9/11 or greater occurs, the reaction of the United States will be wholly different than that of our European friends, regardless of who is president. America’s strategic placement in the free world stands apart from Europe. A catastrophic attack---such as a nuclear bomb or some kind of WMD---would force the hand of any sitting American president to strike back to destroy the enemy. In their heart-of-hearts, the Europeans are counting on the United States to deliver a deathblow to global jihad, even as they spit insults from the sidelines.

Much hubris has been made about a marginalized United States under Bush. But it is Europe and the Left that is marginalized. They have made powerlessness their core ideology, and prefer catcalling as an audience to history rather than acting upon its stage. If there is to be a President Kerry, he, like Bush, will be forced to lay down many of his political prejudices in the face of swiftly moving events.