Search This Blog

Saturday, September 16, 2006

The Game of Historical Parallels

Our President has begun to play the game of historical parallels, expressed in sentences like " X is fascism" or "Y is communism". He has usurped the label "Islamo-fascist" from the greedy fingers of Rush Limbaugh and feels that it makes sense, considering the source. That is fine. Let's us play the game. Let's play Pearl Harbor: historic parallel In this game, President Roosevelt asks and receives a declaration of war against Japan from the Senate and the House of Representatives. About 9 months into the war, just after the Battle of Midway, it turns out that all the intelligence and the communications were wrong: Pearl Harbor is just fine, thank you, and is unscathed except for some rain storms lately, forcing us in from the lanai to have our juleps in the club. Well, what would Roosevelt do? He could say that Hirohito is a really bad guy, a scoundrel actually, and say the world is better off with him off the throne of Japan. We would keep at the war, new goals, however. The people at home might see it differently since a great part of the Army and Navy were drafted. The people at home might not want their sons killed for a sham. So then we send home the draftees but continue the war with people who voluntarily enlist. This might not be as difficult as it sounds. Since Pearl Harbor hadn't been attacked, Japan itself might not be at war with the USA. Japan would have to do some mighty fancy footwork to maintain itself in the Pacific. Would Roosevelt run against Wendell Willkie with a platform saying we couldn't cut and run? And Willkie would say bring the rest of the boys home. And would Truman drop the bomb? Good stuff here. Thank you, Mr. President, for the new game.

No comments: