Consequential Elections: A Brief History, Part II

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

Andrew Jackson

Theodore Roosevelt

In a continuing series Kenneth T. Walsh Washington correspondent for the US News and World Report has been writing a ten part series about the most consequential elections in American History. I previously posted Consequential Elections: A Brief History where the first two elections were profiled.

The series continues with:

The Most Consequential Elections in History: George Washington and the Election of 1789

The Most Consequential Elections in History: Thomas Jefferson and the Election of 1800

The Most Consequential Elections in History: Andrew Jackson and the Election of 1828

The Most Consequential Elections in History: Theodore Roosevelt and the Election of 1904

The Next, Most Consequential Election in American History

The election this year will join the exalted list of most consequential elections in American history no matter who wins. If Obama wins, he will beome the first mixed race person elected to the Presidency. If McCain wins, a woman, representing a group that for 144 years of American History, were disenfranchised and had no say in the affairs of government will be the Vice President. A truly historic moment in our history, when race, and gender give way to merit.

I will start out by linking several articles that examine the latest choice made by often labeled Maverick John McCain. When John McCain selected Alaska governor Sarah Palin for his running mate, the perturbation across the media release a tidal wave of articles and blog posts.

McCain Makes Calculated Bet in the Wall Street Journal by LAURA MECKLER, ELIZABETH HOLMES and JIM CARLTON.

The Battle for Women Begins in the Washington Post by Juliet Eilperin and Anne Kornblut
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Campaigns Shift as McCain Choice Alters the Race in the New York Times by By ADAM NAGOURNEY, JIM RUTENBERG and JEFF ZELENY

Leading off the blog comments about the choice is Thomas Barnett with Interesting difference in Veep choices .

Tom then pens a in depth analysis of the race as seen from the prospective of a grand strategist. Still deeply but closely divided. In this post, Tom looks at the whole process and offers comment on why things are so close.

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And bringing up the rear, a cross section of bloggers offering their views on the most recent choice in politics.

Zenpundit tdaxp Lexington Green Fabius Maximus Progressive Historians Purpleslog.

And finally, from Victor Davis Hanson , A Maverick Choice,

And for a peek at the current projected polling. RCP Electoral Count

Will the Afterglow of the Olympics Lead To The Same Old China?

There is something eerie about the sameness of thousands of terracotta warriors and the drummers in both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in China.The Olympics are over, China has accomplished most of the goals it's authoritarian government set out to do. For almost all of China's 5000 year history the goal has been to demand tribute from lesser states whom in their view was every other entity on earth. They were less inclined on conquest, except during the short time of Mongol rule. Even they stopped their forays as soon as the good grassland for their horses began to run out in Eastern Europe and the sands of Levant.

Now it begins to see what China will make of it's new found pride and sense of greatness. The articles below begin to question the afterglow, and ask if this will lead to a more open China, or a China that for 5000 years of history, placed most people at the bottom, to sustain first the emperors, and their nobility. Then today, the central authority, and some of the newly rich whom have become an economic nobility.

News Analysis: After Glow of Games, What Next for China? From the New York Times

For Beijing, a 'Perfect' Olympics - Thomas Boswell, Washington Post

Melting Pot Meets Great Wall - Thomas Friedman, NY Times

The Great Convergence?* from The China Beat

Reading for a Sunday Afternoon

1st Cav Div Patch

"Too Tall" in Vietnam

Major Ed Freeman receiving the Medal of Honor

Just a few reads for today.

Small Wars Journal takes the lead in recommended reads for this week.

First a pause to honor a hero of a war that became a seminal moment in my life.

Our Loss, Fiddler's Green Gain by Dave Dilegge at SWJ Blog

Then turning to a problem that is much more critical to this country than Russia, Georgia, Iraq or Afghanistan. Readers may be shocked to read the next story and may believe that it won't effect our security. Tell me that after reading the next two stories. The answer lies somewhere in diffusing the money trail. Interdiction alone cannot overcome demand by the citizens of the U.S. The answer lies somewhere down the road, after the pain of allowing the cartels to become so powerful that the only way to stop them is to legalize and TAX the crap out of the product. Then anyone with untaxed product...Life without parole.. Sound extreme, and millions will disagree. But what has come of billions and billions of trying to stop self indulgent narcissistic people who want to score. My sense is the next generation will see this problem in a different light than those are soon to pass from the stage.

The Border Counterinsurgency by David Danelo of the San Diego Union-Tribune

State of Siege: Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency in Small Wars Journal

And speaking of passing from the stage. Tom Barnett's column today addresses those who long for a return to the Cold War, even if it means screwing up the latest surge in globalization.

Barnett: What reviving Cold War will end up costing us

Finally! Someone Sees the Forest Behind the Trees

The Russia-Georgia War has left the last two weeks battered with shock waves that far exceed the intensity of the actual conflict. This blog like many others reacted to the intial reports of bombing civilian targets, that soon proved to be true of both sides. Then, the politico's began to posture and make martial poses. The airways and especially the blogs have buzzed with tremors of a return to history and in the days of global warming, threaten a geo-political cold snap.

Finally the last two days have produced comments that come at a time when too many people are rocking the boat. The posts linked below sound out like a cool head in a life boat standing up and getting everyone to sit down and shut up until the storm passes. In keeping with this nautical analogy I turn to a post today by navy centric blogger, Galhran at Information Dissemination who writes a splendid summary.

Russia - Georgia Analysis We Can Support.

In part:

Mark Safranski, also known as Zenpundit, has an article out on Pajamas Media regarding the Russian - Georgian conflict called Lets Not Rush Into Cold War II. Mark nails every point perfectly, scores on every possession, and generally educates at a level even the politicos should be able to understand.

While Mark got my blood pumping, the adrenaline gave me a natural buzz when I followed up Mark's piece with Thomas Barnett's 3000 word passion statement. When I use the F bomb, it means I'm having an emotional moment and care about a topic, and that is generally how I see it when the bombs drop on other blogs. Quoting any part of the 3000 words to summarize the whole is futile, so go read it and come back.

You got to love this guy, he has a way with words that concisely summarizes what Mark and Tom have written.

If Mark is the liberal, and Tom is the neocon, I must be the globalization Nazi. So be it, in my realist world, world peace requires tough men with guns defending a global economic system where all regional powers are stakeholders, and in my academic world, economic prosperity requires measured cooperation as part of the competition of major powers.

Anything I add will diminish the words of these fine gentlemen, so take the time to read each link as if you are listening to a conversation of learned men.

An Un-Splendid Little War

John Milton Hay was appointed Secretary of State by President William McKinley. Years later when Theodore Roosevelt occupied the White House, Hay wrote the President about the Spanish American War. In that letter he summarized the conflict with a quote that came to be linked with the first war of American expansion beyond her borders. He called it:

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"A Splendid Little War"

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In the Kremlin this weekend, one wonders if Putin's advisors would be speaking in the same terms, more importantly is how the governments of nations on Russia's borders and in the core states will react to this war. Without desending into choosing sides the links below lay out a brief look back at the war between Russia and Georgia and try and create a historical timeline to study the course of the war. The opinion of what this all means are colored by the political lenses of the observer. Some see this as a return to the "Cold War" and others, that this is Russia's version of America's Grenada war in 1984. Still others, with a more horizontal vision look beyond to see the events as the growing pains of a paranoid nation trying to find it's way.

Russia has searched for a post-Soviet identity since that empire's stunningly sudden collapse two decades ago. For now, Moscow is nothing more than an immature energy conglomerate masquerading as a government. Learning what he did from the Bush administration's lengthy - and now exhausted - bout of unilateralism, Putin confuses the power of supply with the power of demand, thinking he holds all the cards.

Thomas PM Barnett, 2008

We begin our look back at the last week with.

A Two-Sided Descent Into Full-Scale War - Peter Finn, Washington Post

Georgia and Russia were on a collision course.

In three hours, full-scale war would begin.

With a huge air, land and sea campaign, Russian forces routed the Georgians in the following days and advanced far into Georgian territory, overrunning major cities and military bases. An ensuing uproar in the West, accusing Russia of using excessive force, has clouded details of how the war began.

Interviews with Georgian leaders, Russian officials, Western diplomats and Bush administration officials, together with briefings by the Russian military in Moscow, show that a series of escalating military moves by each side convinced the other that war was imminent.

Georgia - CIA World Factbook

Russia - CIA World Factbook

What follows is a backward look at the war as it unfolded. the BBC travels backward day by day to the beinning.

Day-by-Day: South Ossetia Crisis - BBC News

And as the guns fall silent, the anger persists as it has for a thousand years.

After Battle, Anger Follows Ethnic Lines - Tavernese and Siegel, New York Times

Sunday Readings:

Weekend Reading Recommendations by Fabius Maximus

Influencing Russia by Steve DeAngelis, Enterra Solutions

Barnett: Response to Georgia conflict: firm but moderate

Another Fine Kettle of Fish!

When something terrible befell the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy, Oliver Hardy would exclaim, "That's another fine kettle of fish you've got us in," to his witless partner Stanley. The private conversations in Western capitols this week were probably in spirit with Hardy's sentiments.

As the forces of Russia begin to slowly observe the cease fire and move back at a snail's pace. The next phase of sorting out what went wrong and how to attempt to deal with the future begins.

Mark Safranski at Zenpundit leads off with this analysis of what is shaping up to be a failure to have any policy for the unexpected.

Russia Policy: Trying to Make A Virtue Out of Having Ceded the Initiative

I had actually intended to post briefly on the implications of the Russo-Georgian War for State vs. State warfare and 4GW but today’s reactions by the Bush administration and Senators McCain and Obama are a more important concern. The United States has no strategic policy in regard to Russia - and if the statements of the candidates for president are to be believed - we won’t have one in the next four years either....

Now to be fair, many of the actions taken by the President are sound and wise ones. Russia needs to feel significant pushback here and Bush is doing that very firmly and responsibly - and without much help from our allies other than President Sarkozy.....

Deciding what our long-term interests are in the region and what our relationship with Russia should be is something seventeen years overdue and presidential candidates who have no clue, left to their own devices, of what to do or, who take foreign policy advice from a paid agent of a foreign government, worry the hell out of me.

Other important blogs weigh in with the latest.

He Who Has the Biggest Gun from Information Dissemination

Flash Point: South Ossetia (14 August) at Small Wars Journal

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And concluding with this Does war work? from Kings of War

Update:

This just in from Thomas Barnett who draws from his first career as a Soviet expert, to offer these wise words. Bush, so far, has played it cool on Russia

What Next? as Iraq Cools...

Iraq soccer celebration

Bagdad Market

Iraqi Children

Almost lost amid the headlines is the clear fact that Iraq seems have turned back from the cliff of total chaos and be headed down the rocky path towards a semi-functioning state. Three esteemed corespondents who have covered war more thoroughly that any one since the days of Ernie Pyle have all signaled that major hostilities have almost ceased. Their comments below:

Michael Yon Calls for a motion!

The war continues to abate in Iraq. Violence is still present, but, of course, Iraq was a relatively violent place long before Coalition forces moved in. I would go so far as to say that barring any major and unexpected developments (like an Israeli air strike on Iran and the retaliations that would follow), a fair-minded person could say with reasonable certainty that the war has ended. A new and better nation is growing legs. What's left is messy politics that likely will be punctuated by low-level violence and the occasional spectacular attack. Yet, the will of the Iraqi people has changed, and the Iraqi military has dramatically improved, so those spectacular attacks are diminishing along with the regular violence. Now it's time to rebuild the country, and create a pluralistic, stable and peaceful Iraq. That will be long, hard work. But by my estimation, the Iraq War is over. We won. Which means the Iraqi people won.

Michael J. Totten Seconds it with these qualifications.

I’m reluctant to say “the war has ended,” as he did, but everything else he wrote is undoubtedly true. The war in Iraq is all but over right now, and it will be officially over if the current trends in violence continue their downward slide. That is a mathematical fact.....

What most of us still think of as “war” in Iraq is, at this point, a rough and unfinished peacekeeping mission. Whether it is officially over or not, it has certainly been downgraded to something else, and it’s about time more analysts and observers are willing to say so.

The War in Iraq Is Over. What Next? - Bing West also confirms!

The war I witnessed for more than five years in Iraq is over. In July, there were five American fatalities in Iraq, the lowest since the war began in March 2003. In Mosul recently, I chatted with shopkeepers on the same corner where last January a Humvee was blown apart in front of me. In the Baghdad district of Ghazilia -- where last January snipers controlled streets awash in human waste -- I saw clean streets and soccer games. In Basra, the local British colonel was dining at a restaurant in the center of the bustling city.

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But as Iraq stabilizes, Afghanistan and Central Asia rear their ugly heads and pose an even more dangerous challenge. American forces are worn down, NATO, except for a few nations has remains a paper tiger, more concerned with appeasement and how to fund their social programs than confronting long term threats. The recent developments in Georgia, not withstanding, point to a Europe that had the US not had a third of our forces stationed there during the Cold War, would be eating borst and drinking Stoli today. Tom Barnett has is right, we need to sign up China and India at today's prices in order to counter the threats that seem to be inherit in Russian behavior since Peter the Great! 'Locking in China at Today's Prices' and The Long War as a Joint Sino-American Venture

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Turning to Afghanistan, the following articles see a rough tough slog ahead.

Stronger US Role Likely in Afghanistan - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor

'Turmoil in Central Asia' - Olcott and Linn, Wall Street Journal opinion

The Long, Hard Slog - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe opinion

The Russian Bear on a Rampage

The bogosphere has been the best source for the growing war between Russia and Georgia. But before listing some of the important links covering this story. I want to pose a question that no one in the main stream media, world governments, NGO's Humanitarian organizations or elite celebrities have spoken out about the Russian's indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets. Followed by Georgia artillery that added to the civilian carnage.

Russian Bombardment in Georgia Slide show(caution gruesome)

Georgia says Russia bombs again as Bush lashes Moscow

Russians Push Past Separatist Area to Assault Central Georgia

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Russians Bomb Georgian Capital

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Analysis: In Clash, A Lesson

If this had been the United State, and they had begun to fight a war by bombing apartment buildings during the Olympics, they would have been protests and calls by everyone from governments to all of the above listed voices, for the United States to be asked to leave the games and banned from further competition. The mainstream media and elitists from every corner, would be leading the charge for President Bush to be indited by the Hague for war crimes. What gives World are you afraid of the Russian Bear, with his hand on the oil tap? Or maybe might makes right when you country has had a history of always behaving this way in war. Kill enough civilians and the army will melt away. Both sides hands, are bloody in engaging in war as their forefathers have for centuries.

More on this rapidly expanding story at:

Recommended Reading over at Zenpundit

8/8/08, like 8/2/90 and 9/11/01 at tdaxp.com

Flash Point: South Ossetia (9 -11 August) at Small Wars Journal

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It looks like Russia will not stop until they destroy Georgia and remake it a client state. Then again, the West cosing up to Georgia, caused a reaction much like ours a few decades ago when the Soviets got on our backyard via Cuba, Nicaragua and Grenada. Our efforts were just a little more suttle and without airstrikes on civilian neighborhoods.

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Updates:

Keys to interpreting news about the Georgia - Russia fighting by Fabius Maximus

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Russo-Georgia War 2008 at Kings of War

Will China's Third Time Be A Charm?

Confucius

Han trade routes

Treasure ship vs Santa Maria

Treasure ship

2008 Olympics Beijing

This past Friday, the World was captivated and awed by the specular opening ceremonies in Beijing. China used the opportunity to reintroduce itself to it's neighbors whose collective memory reaches back to a few centuries of less than stellar images of China.

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What is most significant to me as I watched China remind the world of it's past glory, is that this is not their first attempt to connect with the world. As the story unfolds below I will retrace the history they conveyed in such vivid images.

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No history of China could be told without the foundation of a philosophy. The Spring and Autumn Period was a conflicting time and out of it the teachings of Confucius became the philosophy that succeeding dynasties would intermittently follow.

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China's first attempt at globalization occurred as unintended consequence of seeking allies to combat the constant invasions by the Xiongnu. The Han Dynasty Emperor Wu dispatched his envoy Zhang Qian on what today would still be considered one of the greatest stories of adventure and survival of all time. The result was the opening of the trade routes that became known as the Silk Road.

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China's second attempt to at globalization came during the Ming Dynasty when the Yongle Emperor dispatched his admiral Zheng He to lead several voyages to collect tribute from the known countries of the world. The ships larger than anything seen until the 19th century introduction of steam, were marvels of engineering and technology. Fate and the celestial powers mandated that China would suddenly stop and destroy the fleet, and turn inward banning trade and contact with the world. The result became the the lost 600 Years of Chinese history, that the opening ceremony cut from history.

This period contains the decline, Qing Dynasty, the stillborn birth of modern China, Republic of China, and what today, could be described as twenty seven years of national chemotherapy People's Republic of China 1949-1976.

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If anything can be predicted it is that time changes everything. China's awakening began shortly after Richard Nixon in a dramatic reversal of his personal antipathy of Communism, visited China and symbolically midwifed the birth of today's China. 1976-1989 1989-2002 2002-present.

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Watching this history be presented in such images of glory has a lesson for the United States as we watch China's emergence. A column by Tom Barnett: What Beijing Olympics will tell us about our world calls attention to:

The Beijing Olympics, which began last week, will signal many good and several bad things about China. Some images will be grossly exaggerated by media coverage, but most will be reasonably accurate and thus revealing of where China stands today in its stunning but costly rise. All will reflect this age of transformative globalization, making China the perfect host for the 2008 Games.

And these observations.

"Despite Flaws, Rights in China Have Expanded by Howard French in the New York Times.

Seeing China Whole - Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune

The lesson for the United States is to remain connected and stay the course by continuing to expand our role in connecting the world through trade and culture. The United States today, far exceeds the power of China during the Han and Ming Dynasties. We would be wise to carefully chose our path, as we consider walls of tariff protection and withdrawing from direct engagement with problem areas.

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One final thought, this will be China's third attempt at globalization and regaining it's prestige as a great power. No other nation or empire has been able to regain that role in all of human history. Will the third time be the charm for China?

2050, 9 Billion and Counting

Water Risks

Gap countries=population+scarce food+scarce water

The current rate of births world wide indicates that world population will grow by half it's number to over 9 billion souls by 2050. This is another reason to try and shrink the gap. A post by Tom Barnett The Gap: where it's hardest to grow food and where populations grow fastest draws an obvious correlation between the Non-Integrating Gap states, and places where there are populations expanding amid areas of poor growing conditions. . It is a major challenge for the richer nations to confront this growing problem.

Steve DeAngelis of Enterra Solutions has written extensively on this problem and has spotlighted both the problem and what some are doing to try and get a handle on it.

Food and Water Shortages in the Middle East

Globalization and Economic Stability

Dealing with Failed States

Then one reads an article like this, where a state decides that world opinion counts for naught in a post heroic age. The Food Chain: Darfur Withers as Sudan Sells a Food Bonanza.

Fabius Maximus offers up an ongoing source of readings on the subject.

Food - articles about this global crisis.

Teach a man to fish, and you understand what we have done wrong in Haiti

There is no “peak water” crisis

I'll keep it short and observe that the stimulus for a growing population in the face of scarce food and water supplies is a basis human desire to reproduce one's self enough to insure survival of the family. As the network of globalization spreads more and more people live better and longer, the baby factory begins to slow down until like Europe and Japan it begins to reverse.
The challenge for the World is what it wants to do about what Paul Collier: Home page Professor of Economics at Oxford University calls, The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It.

A Celestial Son Goes Home

Ah Quin

Ah Quin Family

Dr. Dennis Ming 1944-2008

A worthy pause to honor a decent man who left a legacy that touched at least three worlds. Dr. Dennis Ming, was a doctor of pharmacology http://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/faculty/ming.shtml and had a rich career as a pharmacologist. Dennis passed away July 31, 2008 while on a hike near his home in Orange, CA. His obituary tells only part of the story of his life.

http://www.legacy.com/OrangeCounty/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=115009066

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As noted in his obituary, Dr. Ming made time to serve his community as a reserve police officer in the City of Orange for 25 year, in addition to being a full time professor of Pharmacology at UCI and other posts in the field of pharmacy. He also found time to become the most award winning all time cowboy action shooting champion for 5 years in a row. Cowboy Action Radio #12 - A Tribute to China Camp : CAS City. and SASS Single Action Shooting Society.

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Now all this is interesting and a great achievement, and one would ask why I would pause to reflect on Dennis's life. His obituary notes that Dennis was a 4th generation American born in San Diego, Ca. His legacy comes from a bloodline that reaches back into the middle of the 19th century when Chinese first came to California during and after the Gold Rush of 1849. I stop to consider that Dennis is the product of resilience by his ancestors to persevere and flourish amid a society that did not welcome Asians. Shortly after his great grandfather, Ah Quin arrived in America and before moving to San Diego San Diego History an event occurred in Los Angeles that shook the Asian community "Chinese Massacre of 1871". That event and the agitation led by Dennis Kearney The Kearney Agitation in California, by Henry George, eventually led to the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882 stopping all Chinese and eventually all Asian immigration until 1943. That change occurred only because China was an ally against Japan. The level of yearly immigration quotas would remain obscenely low for another 32 years until the end of the Vietnam War. During those years, Chinese people dug in and found ways to not only survive, but flourish and add to the tapestry of America. The three preceding generations of Dennis Ming can look down on their son and be proud that he brought honor to their family and the country that became their homeland.

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Did Dennis Ming become a activist and agitate to ask for special treatment of Asians? Did he rest upon his oppressed legacy and demand special treatment? The answer is a resounding NO. Dennis Ming went on the live his life and accomplish more in his 63 years that most men can aspire too. The irony is that he became know worldwide for his achievements as world champion in a shooting sport integrating 19th century shooting skills, firearms and dress, Ming Family.

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As the recent book. Chinese on the American Frontier (Pacific Formations) relates, Chinese immigrants were active participants in the development of the American West. Had Dennis lived in the 19th century, and given the opportunities he had today, we would probably be reading of his exploits as much as we now read of Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson. Alas, it was not to be, Dennis instead lived a life that gave all who knew him, a feeling deep in their hearts, that a good man has passed from our midst.

So indulge me if you will, as I take the time to acknowledge this man and his family, for a life well lived and a legacy fulfilled to his ancestors who first came to seek the "Gold Mountain".

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Update: I note that a lot of China Camp's cowboy friends have visited the past few days. To all of you, I share your loss.

Jonah Hook, SASS #4442

History Has A Lesson For Today's World

What do Robber Barons and Custer have in common with this post? Read on and find out.

When I returned to school a few years ago to pursue my love of history and integrate it into my life's work, I was intent on concentrating on U.S. History. I had been raised at the knees of grandparents who versed me in our family history. Our family bible, from the early 19th century contained birth, marriage and death records dating back to colonial Pennsylvania. I was seeped in the history of the United States and the concept of Manifest Destiny. The bible chronicled our families own expansion, from Franklin County, Pa. to Peoria, Illinois, the Civil War and on to California. I grew up with the myth of the American Old West flowing in my veins.

As I settled into my grad study, I realized that American history was no longer divorced from the history of the World. Our experience as a nation has been influenced and has influenced World history profoundly in the past 400 years. I expanded my field of study to encompass the breadth of history and concentrated on making U.S. History relevant in the context of World history. Our classrooms today are filled with people who's ancestors did not fight in our Civil War, or even as Americans in the great wars of the 20th century. Making our history relate to them and giving them a sense of what America stands for, is my goal.

I was drawn to write about this today when I read Thomas Barnett's column, History has a lesson for today's world. Barnett writes that the last quarter century of 19th century American history has lessons that we should remember as we look to the future. He begins by looking at our recent past.

This enduring push for deregulation among the world's advanced economies, triggered initially by Ronald Reagan and Britain's Margaret Thatcher in the early 1980s, has fueled globalization's rapid advance around our planet ever since. Globalization is --first and foremost -- the worldwide flow of investment capital.

And moves back to after the Civil War to find common ground.

A good historical analogy to this era is found in America's post-Civil War experience in rapidly integrating its trans-Mississippi West. You have to remember, these United States had started as a mere 13, then saw their numbers double in the early decades of the union, only to roughly double again in the years leading up to our Civil War and the half-century that followed.

Going back to the future, Barnett ends his column on a positive note.

Similar challenges confront us today in our ongoing attempts to administer our increasingly tumultuous global economy, only this time it's the more stable West absorbing the wild East. And yes, there's no shortage of imperious robber barons or radical insurgents to manage.

Intimidating? Sure.

But remember that we've been down this path before -- and thrived magnificently.

The changes in the past twenty five years when looked back upon one hundred years from now will probably be seen as important to the World, as we today, look back to the late 19th century as our coming together as a major nation. The fact that beyond opening up markets and stimulating economic empowerment to literally billions of people who were largely cut off, we have opened our own doors to new citizens who are further enriching our nation.

I will close by quoting an old friend, who when faced with an intimidating challenge would utter, "This is not my first rodeo" as he charged ahead.

Consequential Elections: A Brief History

A great find!

Kenneth T. Walsh White House correspondent, and author of four books on the presidency, examines the 10 most consequential elections in American history—the races that produced the biggest change and had the most lasting impact. An installment of this 10-part series will run on the U.S. News website each Wednesday through September.

The Most Consequential Elections in History: Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln is commonly listed by historians as one of America's greatest presidents—often as the greatest of all. Part of the reason is that he provided strong leadership, set a clear course, and articulated a moral vision to guide the nation through very difficult times. Franklin Roosevelt, also recognized as one of America's best chief executives, once said that, "All our great presidents were leaders of thought at times when certain ideas in the life of the nation had to be clarified." And it was Lincoln's singular accomplishment that he clarified the goals of "union and freedom" for his time and for the ages, according to historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
Lincoln had risen to national attention because of his widely reported debates with Stephen Douglas in the Illinois Senate campaign of 1858. During that race, Lincoln also gave a powerful and eloquent speech in Springfield in which he declared, "I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free." In another memorable passage, he said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." These arguments were considered moderate among the antislavery forces at the time, and they established him as a leader of what might be considered a "centrist" faction of the Republican Party in the North.

1864: One of History's Most Consequential Elections

In 1864, there were more Union successes, including those at Atlanta and Mobile Bay, and Lincoln got much of the credit. With the war now seemingly on a positive track, he easily won a second term. He received 2.3 million votes to former Union Gen. George McClellan's 1.8 million. Even though McClellan had been Lincoln's senior commander, the former general sought an early end to the war, which was a popular position for most of the campaign. But the North's newfound military success undercut his arguments that it was time to sue for peace. Perhaps most gratifying to Lincoln, the soldiers doing the fighting gave Lincoln a huge margin, 116,887 votes to McClellan's 33,748, even though they knew that re-electing Lincoln would mean continuation of the conflict and the likelihood that many of them would be killed or wounded. But they also knew that re-electing Lincoln would virtually guarantee victory, complete with the end of slavery and the preservation of the Union, and these were their top priorities.

Post-Heroic America?

Vicksburg, 1863

D-Day Heroes

Two genuine heroes, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and SGM Basil Plumbley

The Dark Knight-Post-Heroic Icon?

An excellent post by Pat Porter on the blog Kings of War caught my eye today. The topic looks at the current perception of war in Western World.
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Post-heroic?

Porter begins:

I’ve always been a little uneasy with the notion that we in the West wage post-heroic war because we live in post-heroic societies.

The argument goes like this: several converging influences have made traditional heroic world views redundant. Western societies that don’t live in almost a permanent state of emergency (like, say, Israel) are increasingly distant from the military.

They live in times of affluence and material plenty without precedent. They are very casualty averse.

This is a very thoughtful essay and speaks volumes about how war has come to be viewed by most of the Western World. Porter lays out the conventional arguement that we are living in a post-heroic society.

Hence the way we prefer to fight wars: low-casualty (or even bloodless for our own side, like Kosovo in 1999); a preoccupation with force protection over risk-taking heroism; a preference for air power-driven strategies over ground operations; an obsession with media-management and public relations; no conscription, compulsion and hardly any mobilization of broader society (the Marines are at war, America is at the mall); and a judicialisation of warfare, so that some victims of malpractice in our expeditionary wars are given a hearing and compensated.

Then he goes on to deconstruct that argument. Here are a few snippets for consideration.

Its true that civilians are more distant from the military. Its true that we enjoy unprecedented levels of comfort and peace. Its true that our mass media does make great moral demands of our war-making. But the appetite for heroism is not dead.

Opinion polls provide little evidence for the stereotype of the self-absorbed, casualty averse West.

Our world of popular entertainment, despite all of the social patterns above, reflects not a post-heroic culture but a lasting attachment to primordial ideas about heroism, evil and moral struggle:

“The Dark Knight,” then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year’s “300,” “The Dark Knight” is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.

What seems to be happening is something more complex: policymakers reckon on a post-heroic society, and then their policies are interpreted as evidence of the existence of post-heroic society.

This essay is fertile with ideas that resonate and stir ones inner conscious mind and beg reflection as we continue to face the reality that war, is still a part of the human experience.

An Example of Heroism

This blog has posted often about the people we send in harms way. It is appropriate revisit one site and the ongoing battle being waged in a hospital room to save a young mans life. Attention was called to this young man by the post Broken Arrow for Kaboom Readers! Matthew Wheeler who was burned over 60% of his body in a fueling accident in on June 22, 2008 continues his struggle to recover. For those of you who have not followed his progress, here is the link to a daily blog by Matt's mom, who to me, exemplifies the best in motherhood. (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/matthewwheeler). It reminds us that heroism is not confined to the battlefield.

After Action Report-Afghanistan

Afghan Tribal Areas

Children of Afghanistan

U S Marines 24th MEU

Afghan National Army in Action

A very important report has been posted at Small Wars Journal by the SWJ Editors. The report was filed by retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey, who recently returned from a fact finding study in Afghanistan. His observations strip away the veneer and gets to the heart of what the World must face up too, in order to midwife the difficult birth of a nation.

The Report: After Action Report (AAR)

Bottom-Line: Six Assertions:

(1) Afghanistan is in misery. 68% of the population has never known peace. Life expectancy is 44 years. It has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world: One of six pregnant Afghan women dies for each live birth. Terrorist incidents and main force insurgent violence is rising (34% increase this year in kinetic events.) Battle action and casualties are now much higher in Afghanistan for US forces than they are in Iraq.

(2) The magnificent, resilient Afghan people absolutely reject the ideology and violence of the Taliban (90% or greater) but have little faith in the ability of the government to provide security, justice, clean water, electricity, or jobs.

(3) The courageous and determined NATO Forces (the employable forces are principally US, Canadian, British, Polish, and Dutch) and the Afghan National Army (the ANA is a splendid success story) cannot be defeated in battle.

(4) 2009 will be the year of decision. The Taliban and a greatly enhanced foreign fighter presence will: strike decisive blows against selected NATO units; will try to erase the FATA and Baluchi borders with Afghanistan; will try to sever the road networks and stop the construction of new roads

(5) US unilateral reinforcements driven by US Defense Secretary Bob Gates have provided additional Army and Marine combat forces and significant enhanced training and equipment support for Afghan security forces.

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(6) There is no unity of command in Afghanistan. A sensible coordination of all political and military elements of the Afghan theater of operations does not exist. There is no single military headquarters tactically commanding all US forces. All NATO military forces do not fully respond to the NATO ISAF Commander because of extensive national operational restrictions and caveats.

General McCaffrey also addressed the entities that are part of the problem and solution in Afghanistan.

NATO
Without NATO we are lost in Afghanistan. The next Administration must have a major diplomatic commitment to strengthen the capabilities and commitment of our 26 NATO allies.

Pakistan
Pakistan is a state of four separate nations under a weak federal government. The Pakistani military is the central load-bearing institution of the state.

Afghanistan: A Narco-State
The Taliban, Al Qaeda, war lords, and Afghan criminal enterprises are principally funded by what some estimate as $800 million dollars a year derived from the huge $4 billion annual illegal production and export of opium/heroin and cannabis.

Building the Afghan Security Forces
… We desperately need an additional 2300 police trainers. This is the central effort to win the war in Afghanistan.

The US Armed Forces:

The combat effectiveness, courage, and leadership of our deployed joint military forces are simply inspirational. The leaders are battle-hardened, show enormous initiative, and can organize anything.

Summary:

We cannot allow ourselves to fail in Afghanistan.

NATO is central to achieving our purpose.

This is a generational war to build an Afghan state and prevent the creation of a lawless, extremist region which will host and sustain enduring threats to the vital national security interests of the United States and our key allies.

Afghanistan is a region that has resisted change, and outsiders for over two millennium. The very nature of those who chose to inhabit the lonely mountain valleys and are content to live as their ancestors have lived presents a problem that the core states of the World find completely alien. McCaffrey notes that it will take at least 25 years of involvement to bring Afghanistan to a sustainable level. The level of commitment will be tested many times, and truthfully, if we follow the pattern of history, Afghanistan and the mountainous tribal regions will remain unreachable until some other social cancer like AQ or it's offshoots commit such an unspeakable horror that the World reacts too in a equally unspeakable response. That said, it is a mission that the collective world needs to see completed. General McCaffrey lays out his views, they may diverge from other's but his bottom line is the same for all informed observers.

Below are two links that focus on Afghanistan.

Ghosts of Alexander

Afghanistan Analyst