On his television show yesterday, Bill O'Reilly had this exchange, in essence, with Sarah Palin:
O'R: What would you do if she were President about Iran,who is this close(he emphasized, by puttubg two fingers a 1/4" apart) to having nuclear weapons?
P: Impose economic sanctions in concert with other friendly nations.
O'R: Including a blockade? Russia won't go along with that.
Pailin didn't directly respond. Had she persisted in the imposition of a blockade, O'Reilly's next question, increduloisly asked, would surely have been, "And risk nuclear war?"
What would Sarah Palin have answered to that?
John F. Kennedy answered that question "Yes" when he imposed an arms blockade of Cuba and was confronted by a Russian ship heading to that country, presumably with weapoms, and bent it seemed on breaking the blockade. "Stop," said JFK, "or we will stop you". Nuclear war hung in the balance..The Russian ship turned back.
Ronald Reagan answered "Yes" to O'Reilly's unasked question when, pointing to the degradation that was the Berlin Wall, he fearlessly exhorted the Soviet Union to "Tear down that wall"...the implication being, "or we will". The wall was taken down, the Cold War ended.
Presidents Kennedy and Reagan knew what children around the world know...that bullies are afraid of only one thing: force. Bullies, whether individuals or nations, use force to gain their ends and cower when faced with the threat of greater force. Few in Washington today seem to know this.
If civilization is to endure around the globe, it will be only if America and other nations stand steadfastly and resolutely against tyrants and terrorists, with the willingness and courage to risk all for the sake of victory.
Winston Churchill also knew the answer to Bill O'Reilly's unasked question:
"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival"
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