Posted by
Buster Foghorn on Monday, July 28, 2008 10:56:14 AM
Whether we are talking about the Civil War, the Berlin airlift, or the surge of troops in Iraq, Presidents lead even if they must stand alone and go against popular opinion. Is a “President Obama” ready for such a challenge? In Berlin, Senator Barrack Obama appeared before the multitude. The media focused on the images and reported that all was good. Is readiness about more than images?
Lincoln stood firm during the Civil War against all the criticism while he searched for a winning military team of battle commanders. Lincoln appeared to have little chance for re-election before he found Generals Grant and Sherman. He persevered despite the criticism.
During the troop surge in Iraq, President Bush stood firm against all the criticism. President Bush also went through a number of military commanders before he found Generals Petraeus and Odierno. He forced a reluctant Congress to support the surge and win the war.
Senator Obama, on the other hand, opposed the President’s position on the surge. During his Iraq visit, Senator Obama when asked about the success of the surge, breathtakingly refused to admit the surge was the reason for the success in Iraq or that he would change his vote even if he knew then what he knows today.
Senator Obama praised the Germans for their courage during the Berlin airlift, but apparently failed to appreciate the perseverance of President Truman. In a recent column, Jeff Jacoby looks at the domestic challenge Truman faced.
For President Truman, retreat was unthinkable. "We stay in Berlin, period," he decreed. Overriding the doubts of senior advisers, including Secretary of State George C. Marshall and General Omar Bradley, the Army Chief of Staff, Truman ordered the Armed Forces to begin supplying Berlin by air.
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Yet the pressure to abandon Berlin persisted. The CIA argued that the airlift had worsened matters by "making Berlin a major test of US-Soviet strength" and affirming "direct US responsibility" for West Berlin. The airlift was bound to fail, the intelligence analysts warned. Truman didn't waver. "We'll stay in Berlin - come what may," he wrote in his diary on July 19. "I don't pass the buck, nor do I alibi out of any decision I make."
Presidents Lincoln, Bush, and Truman all pushed forward in the face of severe criticism, second-guessing, and attacks on their judgment. They answered the challenge of their day. What level of criticism would President Obama be willing to bear? How far would he go during a period of adversity to protect America? Is there any reason to think he would he have stood firm to save the Union or Berlin? We know that when his time came to stand tall to save Iraq, he remained seated. Yes, Senator Obama visited Iraq and Germany, but a lesson from the Berlin airlift and history – leadership is about more than images.