Twelve Reasons to Love the U.S.A., VII.

“7.  The U.S. military is the greatest defender of freedom in the world.  Twice in the twentieth century, the United States led the way in saving the world from tyranny–first from the Axis Powers, then from Soviet totalitarianism.  Throughout history, other superpowers have used armies to conquer territory and build empires by force.  America, with its unrivaled military, has chosen a different course.  The United States has liberated more people from tyranny than any other nation in history.” — William J. Bennett, The American Patriot’s Almanac, p.35.

What to Do about Iraq, III

“Third: Recognize that the main ‘benefits of success’ are not specific or tangible.  The United States went to war in Iraq not to seize territory, oil, or military bases, but to end the threat the Iraq regime posed to the region, the United States, and the world.  If this fundamental goal is achieved–if that regime is replaced with a reasonably stable government that poses no such threats–it would make the United States safer and improve international security.  Above and beyond this, if Iraq should one day build stable democratic institutions, it might spur political reform in the Muslim world–an even more valuable accomplishment that could help curtail the appeal of Islamist extremism.  Success in Iraq would also demonstrate that the United States is capable of persevering in a costly effort to defend its interests.  This would increase American credibility, making it easier in the future to win cooperation from other countries.

But the largest benefit of success is avoiding the horrific costs of failure.  Preventing calamaties is one of the most important and least appreciated functions of government.  When an evil is averted–perhaps as a result of insight, intensive effort, and administrative skill–the result is that nothing happens.  It is easy, after the fact, for critics to ignore or deprecate the accomplishment.” – Douglas Feith, War and Decision, p.523.

Twelve Reasons to Love the U.S.A.,VI

“6.  No other country has welcomed and united so many people from so many different shores.  From its beginnings, the U.S. has been the world’s great melting pot.  Never before have so many people from different backgrounds, races, nationalities, and religions lived and worked together so peacefully.  In no other nation has the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood accomplished more than it has in the United States.” — William J. Bennett, The American Patriot’s Almanac, p.34.