Leadership In War Time
By Lawrence Eagleburger Posted in 2008 | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (51) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
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He lay on a filthy palette in a small, dirty, stinking cell, with broken bones, cuts, and bruises; treated by his captors with the same brutality they used on all prisoners at the “Hanoi Hilton.” Seeing the chance for a propaganda coup, the North Vietnamese offered this young aviator the chance to return to the United States when they learned he was the son of the Admiral in command of the Pacific Fleet. The brave American refused the offer and remained a prisoner, through years of brutality and torture, until all of his fellow prisoners were released together.
I am, of course, talking about my candidate for President, Senator John McCain. I know that some (not just Democrats) are saying, “Here we go again, playing the hero card. It’s not fair, irrelevant and has nothing to do with judging whether he is fit to be President.” I would agree with those who suggest that heroism should not be the only criterion for selecting a President. And while heroic military service isn’t a prerequisite to run for President, the experience of serving one’s country and the leadership skills gained from leading men in battle should be given due consideration. It is evidence of strength of character, particularly when it demonstrates a willingness to sacrifice one’s own well being to stand in solidarity with your fellow POWs.
It is not my purpose to argue that this terrible experience in John McCain’s life qualifies him for the Presidency. It is, however, evidence of what I consider to be the single most important factor in determining who can best lead us through this decade and into the next: strength of character.
During my more than 30 years of service in the U.S. Government, I have had the very good fortune of working for a brilliant Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, and two superb Presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. I have come away from those experiences with very clear views of what it takes to be the President of the nation upon which the awful responsibility of maintaining the peace and security of the world depends. I know because I have seen that strength of character is the rock upon which the President must stand when making decisions that affect this great nation and all of its citizens. I also recognize that while strength of character is essential, it is not sufficient. A man or woman with what some would describe as a strong character, but with little knowledge, could lead the country into an international crisis. Senator McCain, however, is the sum total of strength of character born from vast personal and sometimes painful experience and depth of knowledge derived from years in the House and Senate. He stands head and shoulders above any competitor in either party.
The Senator’s willingness to stand on principle, even when it involves unpopular causes, demonstrates a courage that is sadly missing from far too many of his Congressional colleagues. Support for the Iraq war, while initially strong as we wrecked Saddam’s army and permanently ended his murderous and dictatorial occupation, began to come apart in the face of Osama bin Laden’s terrorism and internal disputes between Shia and Sunni. What started as a venture that was embraced by most Americans, including many prominent Democrats, soon became an albatross wrapped around President Bush’s neck. His popularity, as well as that of the war, plummeted. The Democrats saw their opportunity and called for a total withdrawal of our troops, no matter what the consequence.
Despite the increasing unpopularity of the war, Senator McCain never joined the chorus demanding surrender. He correctly condemned the way we were fighting the war and was one of the first to call for a major shift in strategy – the surge. The surge has produced remarkable results. The average Iraqi no longer must fear for their life every time he or she sets foot in the streets, the economy is showing signs of recovery, and slowly but surely the institutions of democracy are taking root.
Most of the progress is due to the GIs who have performed so well and with such courage, but the steady support of John McCain has contributed greatly to that success. Along with the President, he led a successful fight to resist those who advocated for a cut-and-run policy or other equally destructive policies. I say “destructive” because they would inevitably lead to chaos in the Middle East and the massive strengthening of radical Islam and Iran. Has character played a role here? What else should we call it when the Senator, despite the polls, stood firm in his support for our troops, rejected the calls for withdrawal, and advocated for an increased troop level to support the surge? What he stood for flies in the face of what the Democrats and polls told us, yet his public stance did not waver one bit, because he knew the consequences of weakness. It is a classic example of the strength of character that is so necessary to be a successful President.
Iraq has been the overriding foreign policy issue of the first decade of the 21st Century and will be the overriding foreign policy issue of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. How the United States meets the difficult and dangerous challenges that surely will come in the war on terror will define our Nation and the role we play in the world. John McCain, more than any other candidate, offers steady, tested leadership to lead us through these important times.
But have never understood the story of McCain as a POW. He was offered release but he refused as a show of solidarity?
That does not make sense to me. I would not argue that shows anything except poor judgment. Why not get released and head back into the fight? Was it some deal I am not aware of where if he was released then someone else got killed? Please explain someone with more knowledge on this.
He was offered an out-of-rotation release by NV as a propaganda ploy. McCain refused because he knew he was being used. It was the right and honorable thing to do.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Also, it was against the code of military conduct. The code of military conduct required that the first person in the camp would have to be the first person released. McCain actually said he would go, but only if every person in the camp that was there before him was also released, which of course, they would not allow.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_the_U.S._Fighting_Force
I can think of no greater demonstration of character than a man who chooses rigid adherence to a code over his own well-being and freedom.
"If all men were just, there would be no need of valor."
- Agesilaus
It is irrefutable proof of his commitment to duty and honor regardless of any policy differences one might have with him.
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US Marine. I'm impressed that his son would enlist in the one branch that, for sure, will treat him just like they treated my son.
And, as we both know, that's about where my agreements with John McCain stop. :>)
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Code of Conduct.
McCain did the right thing.
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." ~Professor Dumbledore
I think I was just too young when this was explained the first time to be paying attention to it.
I think it's great that RedState can help explain these things when people get involved or start paying attention to politics.
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Patriotism means placing Country above self. McCain's valiant and noble refusal to be released until others, was indeed noble and patriotic. Should he have taken the leave, he would have placed self above country. In other words, should he have gotten out, and left his fellow patriots behind, he would not have been worthy of his uniform, his oath or his nation's honor. Country above self, or as McCain now puts it, 'A Cause Greater' (on his website) is what is needed to sustain a society, to maintain and country and to lead, where others follow because they know the leader will not take what benefits him first.
Proudly Supporting Patriots At http://www.countryaboveself.com
And you will understand. Yes, I've been. It makes 100% perfect sense.
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Sick of Government Expansion? libertarian-Minded Republican? Check This Out... Republican Liberty Caucus!!!
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Rudy's my #1 due to those differences, but McCain is a close #2 because he is right on THE issue that is the most important for a president, and for all the reasons cited above.
Plus, if a little crass opportunism is permitted, I really think he can win!
Agreed totally.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
you, Mr. Secretary. I will not vote in the primary for Sen. McCain, but you have made a strong case for the man and he is fortunate to have you in his corner.
Why do I have to give up the United States to southern invaders to deal with the WOT and Iraq?
With terms like "invaders" or "southern invaders", I question whether your intent. You appear more interested in throwing mud than engaging in debate.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left -- Ecclesiastes 10:2
"southern invaders" is not appropriate. Knock it off.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
Thank you for your contribution, Mr. Secretary. While I admire you and Senator McCain, I just have too many domestic policy differences with Senator McCain that prevents me from supporting him. I think he is a man of integrity, honor, and has served Arizona with distinction.
Just because something is "unpopular" doesn't mean it is the wise, intelligent, or proper thing to do.
Standing your ground for STUPID IDEAS is self-aggarndizement and a Martyr complex!
This sophistry.
So the guy with the .005 batting average hits the home run to get this team to the World Series should be the team's highest paid player!?!? or the League MVP?!?!
Give me a break.
No WONDER Washington is so screwed up.
With irrational, illogical sentiments like this how could it not be.
Utter tripe!
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Finrod's First Law of Bandwidth:
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it takes the bandwidth of ten thousand.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Thanks for providing a metaphor that diplomacy always has an end point and war is a continuation of politics by other means.
My guess is you have now been engulfed by the fog of war. Too bad, really. We need to show the utter ignorance and disregard for civility your group so often displays.
"Nec Aspera Terrent"
bene ambula et redambula
Contributor to The Minority Report
First, thank you Mr Secretary for a life of devoted service to our country. I sincerely hope you return to write on the numerous international policy issues we currently face. In these crucial times, a voice such as yours is still needed to explain the sagacious path.
I can think of very few living people that deserve our unending gratitude more than Mr McCain. He is an honorable patriot, warrior and should be treated with immense, deserved respect.
However, this race is not about any of those previously articulated sacrifices. It is therefore unfortunate he will not receive my vote. Mr McCain has been given numerous opportunities, on a variety of issues, to make considerable, positive gains for conservative and originalist constitutional values.
That list spans Second Amendment rights, unconstitutional filibusters, vitiating our immigration laws, bestowing US Constitutional-litigation rights on FEC's and effectively supporting a tax increase by demurring under a guise of class warfare. This sir is not even a complete list.
I will always be indebted to Mr McCain, but truer to the values which establish this nation and ensured our societal longevity.
- Chris
"Nec Aspera Terrent"
bene ambula et redambula
Contributor to The Minority Report
I thank you for your comments Mr. Secretary, and it is good to see you post at RedState. I look forward to reading more from you.
MOlsen6
Proud supporter of McCain '00 and McCain '08
We can't loose sight of the fact that this election will decide the future of our country in this fight against terror. Bad policies and weak leadership can easily make a 20-year struggle a 50-year struggle.
We can't afford 8 years of Carter-like policies from Obama and Clinton. Romney and the others are untested, and there is no reason to think they can win in today's political climate where independents need a good reason to vote Repub.
Not too long ago, Romney was to the left of McCain, yet he has been sold as the "true conservative". Call me jaded, but I just don't feel like Romney's for real. How would McCain be that much different from Bush? Yet he was sold to us as the "real conservative".
I have differences with some of McCain's positions (global warming, drilling) but we aren't electing an absolute ruler. We are electing a Commander in Chief. This is how McCain's valor and proven grit is invaluable to this election.
"The most dangerous form in which oppression can overshadow a community is that of popular sway" -James Fenimore Cooper
And this is why this Fredhead also supports John McCain:
"Iraq has been the overriding foreign policy issue of the first decade of the 21st Century and will be the overriding foreign policy issue of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. How the United States meets the difficult and dangerous challenges that surely will come in the war on terror will define our Nation and the role we play in the world. John McCain, more than any other candidate, offers steady, tested leadership to lead us through these important times."
It isn't just my overriding FP issue, it's my overriding issue of all. It trumps all other issues for me this election (and that's why Rudy is acceptable to me, despite his being much more centrist than I'd like).
That's pretty much what I would have said, were I eloquent enough.
"If all men were just, there would be no need of valor."
- Agesilaus
While I respect the Senator's distinguished service, I do not believe he is cut out for the Presidency based on his long running history of angry outbursts in the Senate and elsewhere. I don't think a man with such an uneven temper belongs anywhere near the White House.
It will take a strong, calm person to be in charge of our nuclear arsenal. I respect and appreciate what Senator McCain did for our country. I do not think he has the temperment to be the President.
Texas Proud and Texas Loud
So you have a problem with a man who insists on the right thing and gets upset when idiots get in the way? Did you have a problem with the outbursts of Johnson, the tyrades of Nixon, the tantrums of Clinton? It is a fact that those who do not suffer fools gladly, are oft' times prone to saying so.
Proudly Supporting Patriots At http://www.countryaboveself.com
the way he treated Kyl during the immigration debate was far worse than he would EVER treat Kennedy.
Why is that?
All those war debates and McCain never lost his temper with the democrats---over a war.
But in an argument with a Republican Senator from a border state--McCain loses it.
McCain's emotional intensity always seems to be on democrat issues.
Interesting theory. Doesn't work with the facts though. Is that a problem?
A. You are incorrect on several levels. It was Cornyn, not Kyl, that he got upset with. Kyl supported McCain's basic position.
B. He's gotten upset with Democrats many times. Did you read the letter he wrote to Obama on ethics reform? There are several other times as well.
C. "You only hurt the ones you love." Ever heard that statement? There's a lot of wisdom behind it. Anyhow, if you can't apply it to this situation, I don't know what to tell you. Get more life experience.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
who is actually worthy of admiration.
And I'm sure the esteemed Admiral Denton would say the same of Senator McCain. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that he is a McCain supporter.
All three of these actions by McCain used to be courts martial offences under the UCMJ!!!
He DID almost get killed for his country, so, I am NOT calling him a traitor. I would have probably been just as weak.
Then he got back, became a war hero and a successful politician. Some where he lost his devotion to those most vulnerable Americans still held as POW's or MIA's. Senator John McCain, in collaboration with TRAITOR Senator John Kerry (giving aid and succor to the enemy while still in uniform) SHUT DOWN THE SEARCH AND ACCOUNTING FOR OUR POW-MIA's!! He also accused the families pushing for more efforts to account for their missing military members of attacking him and other smack!!!
This man will NEVER get my vote for turning on his own!!! If this is the kind of friends the military has in congress I need to pray a LOT more!!!!
I do NOT want McCain to win, but your comment makes me want to rise to his defense.
Anything that happens to someone when they are a POW is pretty much off limits as a negative, unless the guy is whooping it up with the enemy.
McCain served his country well---but that does NOT mean he should be President.
You are the worst kind of demagogue. Everything you have said is wrong, and unless you have a brain the size of a pea, you know it.
McCain, having been in 'nam and having looked at the evidence, came to the conclusion that there WAS no systematic or intentional abandonment of our troops in 'Nam, and that even if a few had been left behind, which was very unlikely, that they were all but certainly dead by now.
The fact that you try to tar him with innuendo like this is unconscionable. If I were McCain and you said this to my face, I'd beat you to a bloody pulp, damn the political consequences.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
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Molon Labe!
Nah, never mind. Just one:
Blam.
Your comment is not only incorrect (either by ignorance or just plain dishonesty), it's a bleeping disgrace.
GO AWAY, back under the bridge, troll. I hope you get banned.
I'll take the word of the people who served with the Senator including 75 of his fellow POWs over you and the crackpot groups who are pushing these disgusting claims.
"The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions."
Since you don't seem to know
On October 26, 1967, McCain's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by a Soviet-made SA-2 anti-aircraft missile. McCain fractured both arms and a leg in being hit and ejecting from his plane. He nearly drowned after he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi. After he regained consciousness, a mob gathered around him, spat on him, kicked him and stripped him of his clothing Others crushed his shoulder with the butt of a rifle and bayoneted him in his left foot and abdominal area; he was then transported to Hanoi's main prison. Although badly wounded, his captors refused to put him in the hospital, deciding he would soon die anyway; they beat and interrogated him, but McCain only offered his name, rank, serial number, and date of birth. Only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a top admiral did they give him medical care.
Can you please ban this guy? This is way over the line.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
Here's a tip: If you click a username and get told you don't have permission to see it, that person is banned.
(Sadly it doesn't work for mods; mods have to make an extra click to see :-)
Ah, thanks for the tip.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
Actually, one more thing: Can we remove his post? I really don't think we should allow baseless slander like this to stay up on a reputable cite like Red State.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
Thank you for posting here @ Redstate. I am a supporter of Fred Thompson, however I do not dislike McCain. I diverge with him on some issues & question some of his political moves, but will support him if he is the nominee.
For the record, I an not a believer in "electability" as defined by the MSM. I do believe that, if understanding of weaknesses & vulnerabilities & able to answer these effectively, any of the top 5 Republican candidates is highly electable. I am a believer in the message, & our candidate must have a clear positive conservative message & be able to articulate & communicate it. I think Fred is the top candidate based on that evaluation, & if he is not the nominee I pray he will assist the nominee in the message category!
I have read to date. By far.
Thank you for taking the time to write it... a true profile in courage.
"I believe in grace, because I have seen it. In peace, because I have felt it. In forgiveness, because I needed it."
-George W. Bush