William Tecumseh Sherman, Peacemaker; Barack Obama, Warmonger
A recent book about General Sherman’s March to the Sea revealed that it was minimally destructive regarding human life but had a high impact regarding Southern morale and its will to fight (“Through the Heart of Dixie”, Sarah Rubin) and provides a lesson for President Obama and all of our political leaders regarding this country’s enemies today.
As Sherman put it: “This [march] may not be war but rather Statesmanship.” A march through the South’s heartland, he continued, would show the Union’s power to prevail, “leaving only open the question of its willingness to use that power.” So it appears the citizenry’s reluctance to prosecute a worthy war is not confined to our times but has a long, rich history.
Earlier this year, Mr. Obama said to West Point graduates that “…U.S. military action cannot be the only — or even primary — component of our leadership in every instance……Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.”
This displayed the President’s ignorance that metaphorical hammers can be even more effective, and less destructive, when used for display purposes than their original intent. Theodore Roosevelt summed it up best by saying “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
It is breathtaking to think how much more stable the world would be (and people still alive) had Mr. Obama accepted that its bad actors only respond, at this point in human (d)evolution, to the threat of force. Some nails need the threat of a hammer.
The President would do well to learn from Sherman who while offically a gruff warrior turned out to be a statesman of the first order.
-I.M. Windee
