CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, April 16, 2007

Two Wars: Can we win both, or even one?

Apparently, the American Left (now in control of Congress) is making common cause with Radical Islam. Why? Because the American Left fears Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Dr. James Dobson and President George W. Bush more than it fears Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

To understand why this is, let’s examine the first line of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address from the perspective of today’s American Left. (Imagined Leftist commentary is shown in italics, inside of [brackets].)

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers [What about the mothers? Also, fatherhood suggests heterosexuality. Lincoln must have been both sexist and anti-gay] brought forth on this continent [Our forbearers had no right to come to this continent and displace and/or subjugate the Native Americans] a new nation, conceived in liberty [Liberty for whom? Surely not for the pro-lifers, the gun owners, and those who oppose same-sex marriage.] and dedicated to the proposition that all men [More sexist language.] are created equal. [Wait a minute. Some people are so incapable we must have government programs that tell them what to do. Certainly, we liberals are more than equal to those beer-drinking, knuckle-draggers who attend NASCAR races instead of paying attention to George Soros, Michael Moore, Bill Moyers, Nancy Pelosi, Noam Chomsky and Ward Churchill on PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN.]

In that one sentence, spoken by President Lincoln in 1863, are the key elements of what divide the American Left from the rest of American society today. This means our nation is simultaneously fighting two wars: The Culture War waged by the American Left and the War on Terror against Radical Islam.

Following 9/11, President Bush spoke for many Americans when he said, “I’m amazed… that people would hate us… Because I know how good we are.” But when your conception of America is based on the loose lifestyles depicted by Hollywood films, by America’s billion-dollar pornography industry, by Internet sex sites and shows like The Sopranos and Baywatch, no wonder the Islamists think America is more satanic than good.

Actually, if better informed, even Radical Islam would have little quarrel with conservative Americans. Unless they just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Americans who attend worship services, who don’t commit adultery, who don’t believe in same-sex marriage, who aren’t pedophiles, who don’t do drugs, who give alms to the poor, and who, in other words, practice traditional family values, are not the intended targets of Radical Islam.

Ironically, if Radical Islam came to power in America, the first heads on the chopping block would be the leaders of the ACLU, the People for the American Way and the followers of George Soros, Michael Moore and even Ted Kennedy who, by the way, is an avowed Roman Catholic. He just doesn’t take it personally.

Granted, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and even Dr. James Dobson can say some pretty bizarre things or put themselves in position to be misquoted by the Sinistra Media, but they don’t call for violence against those with whom they disagree.

While one would think the American Left and the Radical Islam could not agree on anything, they do have one element in common: Both are authoritarian. For example, the Left wants conservative talk show hosts censored and conservative speakers banned from college campuses. Except for the Koran and the vitriolic sermons of the Mullahs, Radical Islam bans all other forms of public expression.

So, where does all this leave the vast, silent majority of Americans who, apparently, seem content to allow Congress to play politics as to whether or not our troops have the beans and bullets they need to oppose Radical Islam?

It leaves America’s silent majority about the same place as the silent majority of traditional Muslims who, so far, refuse to reclaim traditional Islam from radicals like Osama bin Laden.

As Edmund Burke is alleged to have said, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men [another sexist] to do nothing.”

Syndicated columnist, William Hamilton, is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval War College and a former research fellow at the U.S. Military History Institute of the U.S. Army War College. He is the co-author of The Grand Conspiracy and The Panama Conspiracy – two thrillers about terrorism directed against the United States.

©2007. William Hamilton.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com