This past Sunday, the Patriots won the Superbowl. Two Sundays before that, about 8 million Iraqis risked their lives to vote in a democratic election. Considering these two victories, I have arrived at two equations, the validity of which I have found grows more absolute each year. Patriots=Winners. Freedom=Craved by all. Equation 1: Patriots= Winners. The New England Patriots are unstoppable; they just keep winning. Whether it can be attributed to the fierce(ly good looking) leadership of Tom Brady, the strategic genius of Bill Belichick ’71, or the combination of team play from both the offensive and defensive lines, they get it done. It is the same with the American Patriots; we keep winning. Though liberals would like to inform us otherwise, we have won the war in Afghanistan and are winning the war in Iraq. Sure, there have been a few difficulties along the way. But, the Patriots did not have a perfect game either: Brady got sacked and fumbled; the team was penalized five times in the first half; the defense allowed a touchdown late in the game, making it closer than it should have been; they won by only three points. But three was all they needed. Like a football game, war is always marred with imperfections. There are miscalculations, scandals, and casualties. But at the end of the day, it is winning that matters. For America’s current wars, a win means the successful introduction of freedom into foreign soil. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, that is what we have done. Speaking of American Patriots and the Superbowl-during a Superbowl commercial, a liberal friend sparked me to arrive at another, less absolute, equation. Conservatives’ patriotism > Liberals’ patriotism.The commercial consisted of a shot of American troops walking through an airport as civilian travelers clapped alongside their gates. It concluded with a simple message, “Thank you.” The others in the room commended the commercial with reverence. But the most outspoken liberal of the group shot back with, “They don’t show the caskets coming back.” I am not saying all liberals are like this, but let’s just say this was not nearly the first time I heard such a remark from a liberal. This is the problem I still cannot get over with some liberals and the war in Iraq. I can deal with their obsession with France, their reluctance to admit the war’s success (I hate being wrong, too) and their continual harping of Donald Rumsfeld’s use of the autopen (they have to complain about something). But when it comes to the soldiers, they are simply disrespectful. That my friend could not sit through a commercial praising and thanking the troops without snickering at the audience’s naivety is, in a word, disgusting. Yes, everyone is aware that soldiers have died; this is war. The soldiers fighting have decided that the cause of freedom is one worth dying for. It is patronizing to the soldiers – and thus unpatriotic – to suggest what they fight for is worthless. Liberals cannot support the soldiers alive, when they solely focus on the soldiers dead. Equation 2: Freedom= Craved by all. On Sunday January 30, a larger percentage of Iraqis voted than Americans did in the past election. Considering many Iraqis’ lives were being threatened and dozens died, it was nothing short of a miracle. Kerry warned not to “overhype this election.” He’s probably right. Didn’t Kerry get a bunch of medals in the Vietnam War or something? That is what we should be talking about! But because no one cares anymore about Kerry’s opinion, (there are simply too many on each issue to keep track of) Iraqis danced in the streets. It was proof that the people of Iraq wanted-craved-freedom. They yearned for democracy. Which made me ask the question: Who doesn’t want democracy? The very point of the institution is that people get to choose the leader and consequently determine direction of the country’s future. Everyone fundamentally wants democracy. When Bush addressed the nation in his State of the Union about imbuing democracy worldwide, liberals were shocked that he would suggest imposing an institution that may or may not be welcomed. But Afghanistan welcomed it and now Iraq does too. It just makes sense. But alas, despite my soaring state of euphoria over these two great victories, I do understand: the Patriots need to look to next season and there is still more to do in Iraq. Still, it is sure nice to celebrate and stick it to Larry Summers.
