May 21, 2007--

To End or Win War in Iraq, some say "the buck stops here" (with George Bush), but Miller insightfully says "the buck STARTS here" (with us).  

            Dennis Miller's 20070520 "The Buck Starts Here" video, which needs to be watched by the "independents/middle-roaders" who watch "The Daily Show," the "Colbert" report and similar fare for "insights" into the news, will be appreciated by those of us who watch those shows for insights into the minds of defeatists and moral dilettantes. The link to that video is here.  (Hat tip to HotAir here.)

            However, unless we who understand the stakes find ways to get the attention of the "independents/middle-roaders" who actually draw insights from such shows, from the skin-deep, "if-it-bleeds-it-leads" mentality of the traditionally dominant news media (a.k.a. MSM), and from Creative Coalition "insights" regularly planted in entertainment, the defeatism crowd will win because they've influenced "independents/middle-roaders" enough to cause polls on support for the war in Iraq to nose-dive and thereby influence weak-kneed politicians who worship polls to abandon, or flirt with abandoning, the effort in Iraq.

            Between now and the 2008 election, the only mean for influencing such politicians is to influence "independents/middle-roaders" in order to influence the polls in order to influence the weak-kneed politicians. How can we do it? We don't have a "Creative Coalition." We don't have meaningful influence in the "MSM." We don't have Soros' money. No "Swift-Boat" version of a truth-squad media campaign has emerged. Too many non-defeatists foolishly think the solution is to be "harder" on "conservatives" in the next election on every "conservative" issue (spending, entitlements, borders, etc.) except, of course, Iraq, which will, by then, be lost if defeatists continue getting their way. That approach will succeed only in closing the barn door after all the horses are out.

            We need to figure out a way to reach the minds of "independents/middle-roaders" in order to change the results of polls so that they reflect a determination to succeed rather than fail in Iraq in order to influence weak-kneed, fence-sitting politicians, who worship the results of polls, to support success rather than failure. Who can/will step up to the plate and organize an effective, nationwide, professionally crafted truth-squad campaign to educate "independents/middle-roaders" in order to accomplish this result?

            Many of us say (convince ourselves?) that we're "already doing all we can do," but most of what we're doing is the equivalent of "preaching to the choir." A common phrase that pre-dated baby-boomers coming to power in the wake of the 1970's began with the words "If I don't do it ...." The pre-baby-boomers-in-power version of that phrase (especially during World War II) ended with "someone else will have to do it." The baby-boomers-in-power version is "someone else will." We need to restore the sense of moral responsibility reflected by the former phrase or else our legacy to our posterity will be the amoral, self-serving, narcicistic, rationalistic standard reflected by the latter.

            Isn't that the real point Miller is making? The "buck" starts here-- i.e.,  with us. It focuses us on our need to counter the latter by recognizing that if we don't figure-out how to do it and then do it, no one else will. Let's get started. Those of us who have any contacts with any anti-defeatist in any facet of the media must cajole, beg, plead with, and persuade them to join in a collective effort to craft and implement a media campaign to defeat defeatism. Now!  

Jim Wrenn, Editor at WrennCom.Com; Editor at PoliSat.Com.

Permanent link to this commentary at PoliSat.Com is here.

Permanent link to this commentary at WrennCom.Com is here.