The President Takes the Dover Test
by Mark Shields
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, who as a Marine pilot had flown 59 combat missions during World War II and an additional 90 missions in Korea — where in air-to-air combat during that war's last nine days, alone, he had shot down three Soviet MiG fighter planes — knew firsthand the suffering of war. So the plain words John Glenn spoke in the Senate on Jan. 22, 1997, about what he called "the Dover test" are worth recalling: "It's easy to see the flags flying and ...
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Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Comment: #1
Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:55 AM
Sir;...I don't need glasses to see the lot of those politicians who sabre rattle with ease, and without conscience, as mass murderers... Maybe they do not kill enough personally to rank as mass murderers...Maybe those killers are nice people, charming, and sociable...Yet, it takes a special skill to calculate the value of a human life in terms of individual, and political gain... We have all lost people...I have lost people, but I cannot imagine the lives of my loved ones distilled into so much gain and investment... Government cowers behind a shield of police, and from that safety plays with the lives of citizens as though pawn and puppets... Does anyone ever have the nerve to ask those people what long term goal of ours is served by the enmity of more and more of the worlds population... The foreign poor are not shylocks, but they bleed as us and feel the indignity of dishonor and fear... Do we want to steel their hatred with a cruel resolve??? In war, as in every other endeavor we must show mercy to deserve mercy... Where is the mercy in making a battle field of people's homes and towns; and where is the mercy in sending our military, our children to die only to feed the hatred and frustration of humanity??? Shouldn't peace always be our goal; and shouldn't war always be the final choice??? The world presumes of the last Mr. Bush that he was a fool... He had the support of many fools who were sold on the myth of American virtue and invincibility... Well; the fact is that many things we do not do we should not do...Offensive wars on the far side of the world are prohibitively expensive...That group who would buy bullets for offense at the expense of every good the government is supposed to secure are paying for misery today at the price of calamity tomorrow... With our wealth wasted, with our children murdered for political gain, and the world hating us for no good reason we must now pile body upon body and fortune upon fortune to buy no better than the moment offers... Why not dance down a dark alley with a mugger??? We are not one bit better off counting on the kindness of a goverrnment that we cannot govern, that will build up the fear of the people and capitalize on the general ignorance...I do not trust anyone who does not value life as greater than gold... I do not trust anyone who talks easily of death and killing...I do not trust those who would capitalize on our pain to breed international injustice... We need justice in this country before we will ever be able to export justice...Until then, we should mind our own business, and stand to our defense...Thanks...Sweeney
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Posted by: Mike Ohr
Comment: #2
Sun Nov 1, 2009 7:50 AM
Although a far sight closer to taking responsibility than Bush ever took, President Obama's trip to Dover is still a very small and insignificant gesture. Like Mr Sweeny above, I believe the only true test of the President's taking of responsibility will be to assess the validity of this conflict then respond by bringing our killing machines home if it is shown (as I believe it will) that the war has no validity. I applaud the President's silent salute, but will save my standing ovation for his greeting our living heroes as they return to their loved ones.
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