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Saturday, May 31, 2003

→ http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/05/20030531-3.h...

For those who didn't see it, and I haven't seen much coverage in the US press, some quotes from the President's recent speech in Krakow, Poland.

For my country, the events of September the 11th were as decisive as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the treachery of another September in 1939. And the lesson of all those events is the same: aggression and evil intent must not be ignored or appeased; they must be opposed early and decisively.

We are striving for a world in which men and women can live in freedom and peace, instead of fear and chaos. And every civilized nation has a stake in the outcome. By waging this fight together, we will speed the day of final victory.

I have to say, the language here really appeals to me. The appeal to history was just right for the Polish crowd, as evidence by the applause indicated in the transcript after the words "September in 1939". And the last line, is just great in what it implies. We will win, it's inevitable, but the more people who join with us, the faster

Bush continues to mention some of his internationalist plans, such as the millennium challenge account, but the focus of this speech is really good versus evil, as evidenced by the discussion of Auschwitz.

With every murder, a world was ended. And the death camps still bear witness. They remind us that evil is real and must be called by name and must be opposed. All the good that has come to this continent -- all the progress, the prosperity, the peace -- came because beyond the barbed wire there were people willing to take up arms against evil.

And history asks more than memory, because hatred and aggression and murderous ambitions are still alive in the world. Having seen the works of evil firsthand on this continent, we must never lose the courage to oppose it everywhere.

The hope, I guess, is to keep the discussion of the world focused on what really matters, rather than letting things fall back into the non-judgmental malaise of transnational progressivism.

- Tom | permalink | changelog | Last updated: 2003-05-31 11:34

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