Stand Up or Stand Down?

In America’s political system, the people are represented by two separate -- but not necessarily equal -- groups: Republicans who set off to hunt down, prosecute, and eliminate terrorist regimes and Democrats who draft deadlines in favor of admitting defeat.

Since the birth of this nation, procedural and legal dramas have been the bases for the system we call “political.” In recent days, these stage shows have spawned self-destruction rhetoric from the Left: a timed withdrawal from Iraq (which coincides with another Iran hostage crisis that has ignited international furor, this one involving captured British sailors).

Congress’ plan to pull out our troops was loosely addressed to the American people. In actuality, the audience viewing and hearing such imprudence is worldwide and thus seen and heard by our enemies -- and could not have been broadcast (and repeatedly re-broadcast) at a worse possible time in view of Iran’s seizure of Britain’s military personnel and property.

The plan, especially now, can only serve to promote the false idea that we and our allies are credulous; and it will exacerbate the festering hatred of everything and everyone American and allied to America, both in the U.S. and abroad. The plan’s authors seem unable to comprehend that they are also recklessly wagering our country’s existence against President Bush’s unyielding efforts to extinguish terrorism.

As expected, protecting America and its citizens has evolved into a mêlée for absolute power on the part of Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, particularly third-in-line-to-the- Presidency, Nancy Pelosi. Coupled with this is Congress’s voracious craving to paint our Chief Executive a fool with public statements such as: “[The President should] calm down with the threats … there’s a new Congress in town,” from Pelosi; and “[The President should] get real with what’s going on in the world” from Harry Reid -- as Iran plays Russian roulette with members of England’s Royal Navy.

These are the same addled pronouncements mouthed by liberals to evade the fundamental issues. Rather than assist in fortifying our nation’s moral fiber, shoring up our borders, and taking positive and responsible leadership for the long-term, this new Congress seems incapable of arriving at unassailable solutions to bring down terrorists; they prefer to take the overcrowded low road of mercilessly censuring, demeaning and vilifying our President and his administration.

Congress’ plan to disassemble our offensive barriers will backfire disastrously, for us and for all of humankind. It shouldn’t take a Rhodes scholar to calculate the math, that at the moment the last uniformed soldier steps off Middle East soil there will be a worldwide, all-out holy war declared by the dedicated forces of evil. Thereafter, not a minute, hour or day will pass without the global media delivering staggering accounts of noncombatant civilians -- both non-Muslim and Muslim -- summarily dismembered, blown up, and shot down. Sociopathic madness will stampede out of control and the countries under attack can blame none but themselves for having left the terrorists uncontained and their borders undefended and vulnerable.

To Speaker Pelosi and Harry Reid: This includes the United States of America.

These nightmare scenarios are not spun from a storyteller’s imagination. They are the present day realities, and are precisely what President Bush has worked hard to prevent from happening (again) on U.S. soil as well as throughout the enlightened world. He has never asked for plaudits or shiny medals or a fatter bank account for his endeavors. He does it because it was, is, and always will be the right thing to do. At the same time, it has taken an insurmountable leap of faith and strength of will on the part of our President to battle not just the terrorists but also his own Congress.

President Bush’s concept to wipe out terrorism is unique inspiration. After September 11, 2001, he did not shirk his responsibilities and act as if all was, once again, at peace with the world. With the majority consent of Congress at the time, our President deployed the matchless power of our all-volunteer armed forces to fight terrorists on their ground. That was then.

This is now:

The world has turned its back on America and on the battle against terrorism. Congress are doing the very same, because it is they, not the President, who are ill equipped emotionally to deal with “...what’s going on in the world” -- because the Democrats do not, and apparently will never, possess the chutzpah it takes to ride the lonely high road and be as unique and courageous as George W. Bush.

Mr. Right, not "Mr. Right Now"

by Tanya Simon

You don’t become President. The Presidency is an institution and you have temporary custody of it.
–Ronald Wilson Reagan

In the four short years of the office’s term, the man elected must rise up to and sustain the Constitutional oath: ‘…that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.’

There is no pledge as powerful and as selfless, because it demands that the succeeding custodian of the Presidency continue the eternal uphill struggle for, by and against the myriad of domestic and foreign issues that eclipse our lives: hostile world leaders; growing numbers of disillusioned and dissatisfied citizens; invidious politicians on both sides of the aisle who handily switch from ally to adversary between sunrise and sunset; biased media reporting with the intent to thwart the Chief Executive’s credibility; predisposed civilian groups aggressively intoning issue after issue (whether relevant or not) -- to name a few. And there remains the singular matter that requires our sitting and future President’s attention 24/7: the promise by riotous Islamist terrorists to cause our destruction.

In view of these contentious realities, what distinctions should Americans expect from our next President?

Above all: Leadership. He must be governed by a steel-eye countenance in order to effectively assume the mantle of Commander in Chief and stand knuckle to knuckle with our avowed enemies -- upholding the principle that America takes a backseat to no one.

The next man destined to serve the American people knows to expect a daunting hand-off from George W. Bush, which is why that man must also cross the threshold of the Oval Office fully armed with practical business and management experience required for controlling the White House.

He will be a man who says what he means and means what he says -- who can 'talk with beggars and walk with kings.'

He must possess unshakable moral integrity.

He must be fearless when confronted with intense and unending enmity and criticism.

He must passionately pursue every best measure necessary to defend our nation and amplify our security, no matter the cost.

These are only some of the reasons why the Republican Party should not support a candidate who is only partially qualified for the post. To invest any hope in a man based solely on poll popularity or, worse, name recognition, could prove fatal for the GOP and the American people. This would be as dangerous as placing our trust in a non-FDIC bank with a flashy name that caters mainly to the glitterati while dealing junk bonds to the middle class.

We would be incompetent if we champion any Presidential candidate who has broken his sacred marriage vows by publicly satisfying his carnal pleasures, and who joined himself to a spouse who has been a wife to more than one man. The Presidency has already suffered the shame of adulteration from a ‘Mr. Right Now,’ and we should, therefore, not risk the possibility of more reprehensible maltreatment of the station.

Americans deserve better. Americans deserve the best.

We must seriously consider that one candidate who is wholly qualified to be the 44th President of the United States:

That one candidate who is capable of rising up to and sustaining the Constitutional oath...

That one man who can lead us back up the iron mountain we proudly call America.

That one man is Mitt Romney.

The life of our country depends on him.