(I don’t normally say this, but the circumstances for once dictate it: this post is strictly for the conservative / Republican readers of Obsidian Wings. I value the comments made by my liberal, Leftist and Democratic readers, but not for this specific post. This is VRWC business – so, please, respect our personal space on this one.)
(And I sincerely regret having to say that none of the above is a request.)
Dean Esmay has a rather interesting question and pledge up:
Because debate all you want but, once a decision is made, partisanship should stop at the water’s edges. At least so far as I’m concerned.
Now here is my interesting question: I’ve made myself some friends among conservatives by speaking this way. But I do find myself wondering: how many of you on the right will embrace such a philosophy if John Kerry should carry the election in November?
I don’t want to hear why you think it won’t happen. Indulge me: pretend it might. How many of you will have the patriotism to say, “I disagree with many of his policy directions, I do not think he is conducting our foreign policy in the right way, but I will do my best to get behind him and support him until elections come around next time?”
I’m genuinely curious. For that is the stance I intend to take. I will refuse to call him traitor, loser, liar, incompetent. He will be my President, my Commander In Chief, the Chief Executive of a great nation, elected by the will of a majority of the electors in these 50 great united States. So even if he does things I disagree with in conducting foreign policy, I will say, “I respectfully disagree with the President’s directions, but I will do my best to express my dissent respectfully and hope that I am mistaken and that he has made the proper decisions after all.”
That’s my pledge. How many of you will take a similar one?
It’s a very good question. I fully and openly support President George W Bush for re-election. Unlike Dean, I expect Bush to be re-elected. I consider it best for the United States of America – and, by extension, the world – if he is re-elected. And I am aware – fully, fully aware – of what has been directed at him and his (my) political party so far, and I think that I can accurately guess how much worse it’s going to get by the end of the election.
Guess what? Doesn’t matter. Should Senator Kerry be elected President in November, the war that we find ourselves in requires us – requires us – to master our emotions. We cannot afford the luxury of hatred. We will not be able to afford it for decades, if indeed we ever will again. If we lash out, American soldiers die. Let me repeat that. IF WE LASH OUT, AMERICAN SOLDIERS DIE. They will die because we did not leave the damned politics at the damned water’s edge – and the dead will not care about ‘everybody does it’ or ‘getting our own back’ or ‘bringing a knife to a gunfight’. To mangle Ghandi, an eye for an eye just means that the whole world goes blind.
So. I do not think this pledge will end up being necessary, but should Kerry be elected, I will refuse to call him traitor, loser, liar*, incompetent. He will be my President, my Commander In Chief, the Chief Executive of a great nation, elected by the will of a majority of the electors in these 50 great united States. So even if he does things I disagree with in conducting foreign policy, I will say, “I respectfully disagree with the President’s directions, but I will do my best to express my dissent respectfully and hope that I am mistaken and that he has made the proper decisions after all.”
So help me God.
Moe Lane
*A common objection to this pledge lies in the question of “What would we do if he actually lies?” The answer? Note the contradiction, but give the President precisely the same leeway that we have insisted upon on President Bush’s behalf for the last four years.
I was worried that the pledge was about not engaging in policy debate. But I agree that we can’t put our soldiers in danger by inappropriately attacking the president. I’m definitely ok with “I will refuse to call him traitor, loser, liar, incompetent. He will be my President, my Commander In Chief, the Chief Executive of a great nation, elected by the will of a majority of the electors in these 50 great united States. So even if he does things I disagree with in conducting foreign policy, I will say, “I respectfully disagree with the President’s directions, but I will do my best to express my dissent respectfully and hope that I am mistaken and that he has made the proper decisions after all.”
That is why, at the time, I refused to engage in speculation about the timing of Clinton’s attack against Saddam.
Good pledge! I’ll take it.
Note: If one reads a little history, and looks at the bigger picture, it really ain’t even that hard for either side to take the pledge.
Sheesh, the country has survived colonialism, slavery, Nazism and Communism.
Muddled foreign policy and higher taxes by a hypothetical Kerry administration ain’t gonna kill us.
On January 20, 2005, there will be only 2 choices: (1) salute the President, or (2) grumble for 30 seconds and what could have been, and then salute the President:)
Either way, it’s win-win for this ‘ole dog.
God Bless America.
I’m in. He’s always been Senator Kerry to me and I’ll have no problem replacing Senator with President should he be elected.
So, let me absorb this. Our brave President, George Bush, the leader of this great country, has been ridiculed, woefully misrepresented, and politically gang raped by organized labor bosses, minority elite power brokers, enviro-terrorists, bloodsucking surrogates of the elderly and despondent academia losers of the last election and you want the foundation of this country, the heartland’s shoulder bearers of tough decisions to cow down and respect a man no one wants to be the President of the United States of American. What your saying is that you all agree this person is pitifully unqualified, but the main thing is that Democrats are back in power, so we should all be civil and at least respect the position. Your asking us to do what you refused to do. No thanks.
If Kerry is elected he will be my President. I won’t confuse him with Hitler or Stalin (I’ll struggle with Lurch).
I won’t call him a liar (how could one, he hasn’t taken a position on anything) but I will remind him of the geopolitical situation (China, Iran and North Korea).
Notwithstanding, I will be gleeful when the French and the Germans don’t show up but the Brits and the Australian do. I will also be amused when Democrats are upset when Kerry’s judicial picks are filibustered and remind them of the recent history. I will also find it interesting when the Democrats in Congress abandon Kerry along with the ABBers.
Thus, I will be respectful of the President. But I will enjoy the spectacle of his supporters falling over each other. I just won’t be able to help myself.
I do hereby pledge to be a living demand that the President, be he Democrat or Republican, continue to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, to the best of his ability.
And if his best isn’t enough, to give him a cordial ass-kicking in print. It should go without saying that ad hominem attacks are right out.