An Exercise in Rhetoric
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: The Mark Levin Show
Topic: An Exercise in Rhetoric
The press has been grimly wringing its hands in anticipation of the so-called “2000” mark of American casualties in Iraq. Why the press considers the 2,000th dead American soldier (Staff Sergeant George Alexander---a true American hero!) anymore significant than the 1,999th, 753rd, or 12th dead soldier, I don’t know. Presumably this has something to do with the press corps combination of ignorance and ideological distaste of all things related to warfare, especially the current War on Terror. Whatever the reason, the true significance of this “event” is meaningless except to illustrate, yet again, why America is so indebted to alternative media for providing a refuge from the mindless propaganda of the “elite” liberal media.

Imagine, if you will, how the contemporary mindset of the modern press, best summarized as left-wing cynicism, might have affected the reporting of other historical events. For example, what if the Battle of the Bulge occurred today? What if World War Two was being run by an “extremist” Roosevelt that had earned the ire of Dan Rather and company? Let’s take a look:

16 December 1944
German Forces Launch Surprise Attack Upon Unsuspecting Allied Troops!
---Allied Generals Unprepared to Meet Resilient Adversary
---White House “In Chaos”

---UP Wire Services: In an unexpected offensive, allied troops were thrown back from the Belgian- German border as an unbowed Wehrmacht launched their most effective attack in months. While details of this new offensive are still being assembled at the ever more confused headquarters of the Allied High Command, it would appear that the enemy is employing over 40 fresh divisions to split the Anglo-American front lines in a possible drive towards Antwerp. Many experts are already labeling this event as yet another major set-back in the so-called War on Fascism, a global conflict that has been dragging on for almost three years with no end in sight.

Initial reports are grim; many American units have been completely over-run with numerous reports of other units abandoning their positions and fleeing for their lives from the advancing enemy onslaught. One unnamed officer was sympathetic with the plight of these retreating troops, “Heck, these guys didn’t volunteer! They were drafted! Many were counting the days until they could go home and now they are being attacked by an enemy that the Army said was ‘beaten’. Can you blame them for getting out of Dodge?” Others echoed this sentiment.

Initial casualty reports are quite high with the preliminary figures “in the tens of thousands”. It has been rumored that General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, has already quietly conceded to his top generals that his adversary’s new offensive could prove to be unstoppable and “possibly jeopardize the entire war effort."

“I am not at all surprised by this turn of events,” stated Senator Alan Smith, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The White House has been increasingly insulating itself from criticism of its conduct of the war,” he added. “Indeed,” he continued, “just the other day I warned Mr. Roosevelt to pay heed to recent speculation that our foe was planning a nasty surprise, but he wasn’t interested in listening to my advice.”

Many experts echo these sentiments. Professor James Hickam, of the Political Science Department at Harvard, said that “Roosevelt and his team have been determined to portray this war in Europe as nearly finished. Any opinion that would contradict this point of view has been rejected by Roosevelt and his cadre of close supporters. This is an administration with a message to sell to the American people and they don’t want any interference with that message,” he concluded.

Colonel Jaques Martel, a retired French Army officer and expert in modern combat, expressed his concern during a telephone interview from his new home in North Dakota. "The European mainland theater is very fluid, very complex. But from what I have learned, via sources in England, is that this is a major attack. It is quite unusual for this enemy, any enemy, to fight back like this. Clearly SHAEF [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces] has dropped the ball on this one. Something like this was fully preventable."

Some on Capital Hill have already begun clamoring for an investigation into why a build-up to such a massive attack had not been detected by U.S. intelligence experts. An agent of the top-secret Office of Strategic Services, who would only agree to speak on a condition of complete anonymity, said that the O.S.S. had detected a major build-up, but an institutional desire “to tow the party line” was strictly enforced by his superiors. “Oh, sure, there were all kinds of signs that this was coming, that the Germans were just as defiant as ever, but we were put on notice that conclusions that didn’t fit into the optimistic assessment of the White House were to be disregarded.” But he was quick to add, “Not because of politics, you understand, just because the White House was very confident in what it was being told from its senior field commanders.” Republican Senator Sam Schumer was blunt: “I think we need to appoint a special prosecutor for this. Something is seriously wrong and we need to get to the bottom in as non-partisan way as possible. It’s for the good of the country, after all.”

The White House, rumored to be in a state of “complete chaos”, could not be reached for comment.

If rampaging German troops were not bad enough, American GIs have had to also put up with inferior equipment. Many preliminary combat reports indicate that the ubiquitous Sherman tank and Willys MB Ford Jeep has proven inadequate in combat against Wehrmacht equipment. The Sherman tank’s 75mm gun has not been able to penetrate the thick armor of Panther tanks. However, the Sherman’s thin armor is easily penetrated, often resulting in catastrophic explosions due to the tank’s gasoline engine. “They’re deathtraps!” commented Sgt. Len Engler to the supportive calls of his fellow tankers. “Not at all sufficient for combat,” was how Lt. Joe Gripper, a P-47 pilot, described the Jeep. “I really don’t understand how anyone could expect one of those jeeps to be useful in a ground offensive. It is way under-armed and under-armored.”

Johan Swenson, a Swiss defense expert, believed this was the result of a US War Department trying to do things “on the cheap”. Mr. Swenson said that “due to a weak, if recovering, US economy, the War Department went out looking for the lowest bidder on military equipment, so that it could get the most from its reduced budget.” He added that this was partly the fault of the Roosevelt Administration’s tax policy. “They weren’t willing to raise the necessary tax revenue with unpopular tax hikes, so they made the conscious decision to do with less.”

Some have a more subtle idea of what happened with American equipment. “Follow the money,” stated Greg Blover, director of the Share the Wealth Foundation. “It is no secret that many in this administration have close ties, personal and financial, with many military-industrial business magnates. How hard would it be to throw some business the way of friends---whether or not they are qualified to manufacture such complex equipment?” He is quick to point out that he has no proof to back this assertion, but he asks if it is really so hard to believe. “Roosevelt is a son of the privileged class, after all.”

This latest set-back may well prove fatal for an already beleaguered Roosevelt Administration. A slowly recovering economy, declining popularity of his New Deal programs, the Pearl Harbor disaster, (currently under the scrutiny of several congressional committees), and increasing criticism of President Roosevelt’s policy of interning Japanese-Americans, a plan many have called “racist”, have all burdened the White House. Some question whether his presidency can recover from this latest failure.

Senator Harry Franks, widely considered a moderate, echoed this sentiment. “I just don’t know whether we can rely on Mr. Roosevelt to see this war to a successful conclusion, what with all that is on his plate.” When asked why, Senator Franks replied, “Clearly we are in a quagmire here! The White House is telling us that the war will be over by Christmas, and now this massive attack happens! I just don’t think Roosevelt has a viable exit strategy.”

Chuck Kelly, a congressman from California, agrees. “Mr. Roosevelt is clearly beholden to his extremist base. He cannot afford to alienate them by recognizing that the war has no clear end in sight. I think if the president really cared about the nation, and the soldiers, that he would set a strict timetable for withdrawing our troops.” Indeed, this is a common sentiment of many critics of the war who anxiously note that the total number of US casualties is edging towards the 305,155 mark. “I’m telling you,” added Kelly, “as soon as that unfortunate 305,155th soldier is killed, all support for this war is going to evaporate!”

The popularity of President Roosevelt has reached a new low with some voters. Barbara Stickland, an actress, questions why we are in Europe at all. “Can someone explain to me why we are at war with Germany when Japan attacked us? I mean, this White House has insisted on linking Germany to Japan and I just don’t understand why! Where’s the connection?” Murray Crowley, a writer, agrees. “This European sideshow is all about an America New World Order. Clearly Roosevelt was just looking for an excuse to make most of Europe an imperial outpost for a resurgent American foreign policy. It’s all part of the hawkish influence of those so-called New Democrats that have this president in their back pocket.” Alan Drummond, an artist, added his own interpretation, “He told us he was going to keep us out of any European war! Suddenly our fleet is attacked by Japan, and the next thing I know, we’re at war with the whole globe! Come on! Does anybody really believe that Roosevelt didn’t arrange the 12-7 attack on our Pacific fleet? The president needed a reason to get into the war and enrich his war-profiteer friends. Looks like he made sure he got one!” Stan, a 4-F college student, seemed to agree. “Roosevelt lied, soldiers died!” he shouted from a nearby corner. Such sentiments seem very popular with the public.

Even the legalities of the battlefield seem to be suffering as the war drags on. Initially, both Germans and Americans enjoyed a degree of mutual civility in this martial contest. Not any longer. There are reports that some advancing Wehrmacht units, particularly those commanded by Colonel Jochen Peiper, have massacred surrendering US troops near Malmedy. Why the sudden change in tactics? “Anger,” answers Karl Kronenburg, of the German-American Legal League, an organization dedicated to preventing anti-German bigotry in America. “Can you blame them? The Germans have seen their cities blasted by American planes, their ports blockaded by American warships, and their soldiers taken prisoner and whisked away to secretive POW camps in the States without the benefit of a trial. They are very angry at the double-standard of treatment they have received at American hands.” He explained that these grievances weren’t just related to contemporary events, either. “Many people forget the shameful way that Germany was handled by America, and her allies, at the conclusion of World War I. Germany just wanted to be treated fairly and respectfully in the wake of the Great War. Instead, Germany was made an outcast state, beholden to the mercy of her neighbors. It is clear that the US was heavily involved in this demeaning, some would say imperialistic, effort. America’s hands are just as bloody as those of the German people,” he concluded.

What ever the truth of the allegations, one thing is clear: America has suffered a severe setback in its European ground campaign. "It could take months or even years to recover the lost territory," commented military historian Norm Hale. "For all intents and purposes, we are starting this war from scratch," he concluded.

Tomorrow: The League of Nations: The hidden truth of its many successes.

Next Week: Is Christmas undermining our war effort? Experts say "Yes!"