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The
Compromise of Credibility
EDITORIAL
Frank Salvato
August 3, 2003 |
I was watching television
the other night, chuckling about the fact that John Kerry’s campaign hadn’t
received a bounce after the Democratic National Convention and reading hate
mail from the liberal-left, when suddenly I heard Kerry’s voice from the
television set. He was being interviewed on the campaign trail, John Edwards
uncomfortably at his side, and the matter of diplomacy came up.
I turned, giving the hate mail a rest – one can only take so much overly
dramatic tragedy – to see Kerry say that he would bring credibility back to
the United States when it came to diplomacy and foreign relations. At that
moment it struck me, and struck me not unlike a triple-shot of espresso
would a MoveOn.org flunky who had been fasting in protest of Birkenstock
ceasing production of the most popular cork life sealer. When did the United
States of America lose any credibility around the globe, I had to ask
myself?
I have been paying attention to everything that has come to pass over the
last four years so the contention that the United States has lost
credibility was a foreign notion to me. Did we bounce a bad check? Over
extend ourselves on our American Express Cards (I thought they had no
limit)? Or was this just another well-played hand by Terry McAuliffe, James
Carville and the other "let’s see how much of the stuff the media will eat”
members of the power-hungry liberal cabal.
Before I get into the reasons why the "credibility issue” should be
converse, it needs to be said that in order for one to believe there has
been any credibility lost one would have to still believe that President
Bush lied – like Michael Moore. People who are still contending that "the
lie” took place are those who exist so completely out of the realm of
reality they still believe the moon landings were fabricated somewhere in
the deserts of the American Southwest. The fact that the UN, NATO, British
intelligence and our own intelligence communities all believed there were
WMD in Iraq beguiles those who would insist on using the word "lie.” In
fact, many reports have them still being found in lesser quantities and some
reports have them transferred to Syria before, during and after Operation
Iraqi Freedom. Further, when one adds to the mix that Russian President
Vladimir Putin and the government of Jordan both warned President Bush of
Iraq’s WMD, one would have to have been an absolute fool to wait for a UN
mandate before allowing another day like September 11th to happen. Either a
fool or, dare I say it, John Kerry.
Credibility, as defined by Mr. Webster, is this: The quality, capability or
power to elicit belief; a capacity for belief.
That being said, if any country and/or countries have lost their credibility
on the world stage it would have to be Moe, Larry and Curly across the pond;
France, Germany and Russia.
Daily
our troops in Iraq find weapons that were made in France, weapons that were
manufactured and sold to Iraq during the trade embargo as established by UN
Resolution. Jacque Chirac is so incredibly corrupt that his own heir
apparent to the French presidency sits in a French prison cell. A common
idea among the French people is that he is so corrupt he needs to stay in
office so that he can use his immunity to stay out of jail. Factor in how
much Chirac and his elitist pack of jackals skimmed off the top of the UN
Oil-for Food scandal and I would have to say that the French credibility is
in question.
Then we have Germany. Here is a country that owes the people of the United
States everything. Not only should they apologize every day for being so
daft – I hear MoveOn.org’s theme music beginning to play – as to have
allowed Hitler to come to power they should be thanking the United States
daily for not walking away from them immediately after ridding the world of
the Third Reich. We helped to rebuild their country and in recent times – I
know sometimes people forget – we made it possible for a little thing called
the Iron Curtain to fade to history. A little over a decade later we see
Heir Schroeder, his lips firmly planted where Chirac sits so as to allow
them both to feel a sense of belonging, refusing to send any troops to help
with the reconstruction of Iraq, no matter who the US President is while
trying to cover-up the illegal sales of products to Iraq during the embargo
period. Schroeder and his minions have lined their pockets with Iraqi
Oil-For-Food money as well, just like the French. I would have to add
Germany to the list of countries whose credibility is in question.
Then we have the Russians. President Putin, ex-KGB chief and all around good
guy. His hands are dirty with UN Oil-for-food money as well. Add to that the
fact trade never ceased between Russia and Iraq during the embargo period –
I guess the Russians are simply too used to doing things on the black market
to care – and we can add Russia to the list of nations that have
questionable credibility.
With all that being said, who in their right mind can say that America’s
credibility needs to be restored? Well, yes, you’re right, John Kerry, he
would say that. He would also say that in order for our current coalition to
be legitimate we would have to include France, Germany and Russia in the
current efforts to rebuild Iraq. Again, as is the status quo for Mr. Kerry,
he would be wrong.
The United States credibility doesn’t need repair. President Bush stated our
case and we have delivered freedom to those who were starving for it. While
the question of WMD looms heavily in the upcoming US election there are 50
million people in the Middle East who don’t hold the same concern. They are
free, many for the first times in their lives. They too have an election
coming up. That will happen in January. For John Kerry, it is a good thing
he is running in this country rather than Iraq. His credibility over there
is shot…come to think of it, if you aren’t protesting the Birkenstock
decision…Kerry’s credibility is shot over here as well.
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