Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s speech at the Truman Memorial Library on Thursday is now posted on the Department of Defense website. I recommend starting with the third paragraph and reading the entire text. As usual, Rumsfeld reminds us that the Bush administration is making decisions based on the information of the moment weighed against the historical understanding of our involvement with the world.
Rummy on Truman: But President Truman’s final words to the nation, as President, in 1953, I think ought to offer some comfort to those with questions about the struggle we face today. He said in part:I have always been an admirer of President Truman because his life is testament to the wisdom of American values. He was a common man who achieved great power, used it wisely, and then freely returned to being a common man. In fact, a comparison between the post-Presidential behavior of Truman and Carter demonstrates how completely the Democratic Party has become consumed by petulant and petty opportunists. Hat Tip to Elephants in Academia for the link.“Some of you may ask: when and how will the Cold War end?” This is 1953. He said: “when and how will the Cold War end? I think I can answer that simply; the Communist world has great resources and it looks strong, but there is a fatal flaw in their society. Theirs is … a system of slavery. There is no freedom in it, no consent. . . . I have a deep and abiding faith in the destiny of free men. With patience and courage, we shall some day move on into a new era."And we did. But it wasn’t in that year. Or ten years. Or twenty years later. Or thirty years later. It was forty year later. He was right.
