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L'Audace, L'Audace, Toujours L'Audace
Wednesday April 16, 2003
"L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace" was a favorite saying of General George S. Patton quoting Frederick the Great. Whether or not Frederick actually said it is of no moment. Was is important is that he acted that way.
If that saying is not on the wall of George W. Bush's White House study, it should be. Because he acts that way, too.
The howls of horror from the Left - US and European - have been unbroken since the President first looked around on a snowy day in January, 2001 from the steps of the Capitol in Washington, DC and said, in his Inaugural address:
The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake: America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.
How dare a new President of the United States - who had been the Governor of a Southern State, at that - presume to tell the rest of the world, especially sophisticated Europe, that America's view of the world included a "balance of power that favors freedom?"
L'audace.
A few days later, the President proposed a tax cut in the region of $1.8 Trillion over ten years while the Left and the media shook their collective heads with that sad smile (which I thought had been reserved solely for me trying to understand quadratic equations in high school) which said, "He doesn't get it, but he tries so hard."
We were reminded, in those early days, that Washington ain't Austin, and the Bush Charm Offensive wouldn't work on a professional political class and a national media for whom cynicism is not just an art form, but a religion.
100 days into the Administration, pollster Andy Kohut, said on PBS: "A consistent thing in what people volunteer is they like this man personally. They like his style. They like his honesty, his integrity, his calm dignity."
116 days into the Administration, On May 26, the Congress adopted a $1.35 Trillion tax cut package which the President signed on June 7.
L'audace.
Just yesterday, as Stealth Bombers and two Carrier Battle Groups were preparing to return to US soil, and as the first meeting on post-war governance was convened IN IRAQ, the President said this, in the Rose Garden, about the new economic stimulus package:
Here in Washington, we're now determining the size and the shape of a package to promote growth in jobs. It's not "if" we have a package, it's how big will the package be. The "if" is over with. In this debate, the goal is not to set arbitrary numbers for that package. The goal is to determine what our economy needs, what small businesses need, what workers need. And then to take actions necessary to meet those needs.
The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has the President at 71% job approval and 62% saying the country is on the "right track," but those are not the numbers which worry the Democrats. Here's the question which has them (or should have them) panicked:
During the next 12 months, do you think the nation's economy will be better, get worse, or stay about the same?
Better 51%
Worse 13%
Same 30%
It's all about confidence in the future.
Toujours l'audace.
Speaking of audacity, that action at the Masters golf tournament put together by Martha Burk drew about 40 protesters (the AP reported, "A single bus pulled up to drop off Burk supporters - and 17 people got off.") which means there were more golfers IN the tournament AFTER the cut than there were people protesting them.
Standing directly in front of Ms. Burk was a kid - he had to have been a college student - holding up a sign where she could see it, which read: "Make me dinner."
Occasionally he would flip it over. The other side of the sign said, "Iron me a shirt."
WAY l'audace!
Humanitarian Crisis Watch: According to
Shirley & Banister Public Affairs the phrase "humanitarian crisis" has occurred in 344 articles about Iraq since Saddam's statue fell on April 9.
On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: A brief (about seven word) bio of Fredrick the Great, a brief (about 50 word) bio of Martha Burk, link to a brief account of the WSJ/NBC News poll, and a pretty funny Catchy Caption of the Day.
--END --
Copyright © 2003 Richard A. Galen
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