Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 27, 1991 TAG: 9102270484
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CAL THOMAS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now there are new lessons, those of the Persian Gulf, and they are as profound in their success as the lessons of Vietnam were profound in their failure.
The Bush administration, the Pentagon brass and, of course, the all-volunteer military taught us these lessons as they each performed in the grandest manner.
The first lesson of the Persian Gulf War is the necessity of having a president who clearly articulates goals and sets about selling them to the American people. After a somewhat shaky start as he attempted to explain why we were involving ourselves in the region, President Bush found his stride. To his political and military planning, the president eloquently added an outline of the moral justification for the war.
The second lesson was the value of having international support, rather than embarking on a go-it-alone strategy. The president put together a coalition of countries and revived the moribund United Nations to pass resolutions supporting American objectives and, wonder of wonders, endorsing military intervention if all else failed.
The next lesson learned was the value of a battle plan. We "winged it" in Vietnam. The Persian Gulf War was scripted and acted out superbly by everyone involved. And the commanders, as well as the all-volunteer services, proved they were tough enough and committed enough to pursue the objective to victory.
The fourth lesson was learned by the Pentagon, which handled the press brilliantly. (It helped that so many Americans demonstrated their support for the troops by bathing the country in flags and yellow ribbons.) Some reporters and broadcast executives objected to the restrictions. Walter Cronkite, who editorialized against the Vietnam War during the supposedly objective "CBS Evening News," complained of "arrogance" by the military for not letting the press see and report more of the Gulf War. Many Americans see Cronkite's colleagues as the arrogant ones who pursue ratings, awards, profits and their own political agendas before considering the interests of their own country.
The press has been tightly controlled in four recent military conflicts: the British invasion to take back the Falkland Islands, the liberation of Grenada from Marxist communists, the toppling of the dictator Manuel Noriega from Panama and, now, the liberation of Kuwait from the clutches of Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Is it a coincidence that each of these was successful?
It seems liberal Democrats never see a moral justification for war. Columnist Mary McGrory, the nanny to all pacifists, wrote that "war is actually the greatest failure that mankind can commit." No, it isn't. Appeasement and weakness are.
McGrory adds, "It just doesn't make sense to use our military might to devastate a small country when all we really want to do is punish one man." One man? Were all of those Iraqi soldiers killing Kuwaitis only mirages? McGrory is upset that Republicans might think they can score political points from this war. She ought to be. Most of the liberal Democratic "leadership" opposed the war until the approval ratings topped 80 percent, then they ran like crazy to jump on the train long after it had left the station.
House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., is one who might expect to star in some GOP commercials next year because he threatened to cut off funds to the troops. Bush and Quayle may ride this Arabian horse to a 50-state victory in '92 and pull some Republicans into Congress if they seize the opportunity.
The Democrats still haven't learned their lesson. Frustrated that no one pays much attention to her whiny voice anymore, Rep. Pat Schroeder, D-Colo., complained on CNN that she worries we might not be able to pay the bill for the war. Don't cry, Pat. If unpaid bills remain after our allies ante up, we can put out some collection buckets along the routes of the hundreds of victory parades that will welcome the troops home. Americans will be happy to help pay the price for those who have made us proud that we helped another nation rid itself of an occupying tyrant and rid ourselves of the ghost of Vietnam. Los Angeles Times Syndicate
by CNB