“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge – and more.”

                                                            - John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961

These are arguably the most inspirational words ever delivered during an inaugural address. The speech, as a whole, was captivating and challenging, valiant and visionary, uncompromising but unifying. Strangers, so at odds with each other over the issues of the decade, came together that day as Americans in a high-stakes world. At a time when Communism was on the march throughout the world, racial tensions were boiling over, and the faces of our own abject poverty began coming into the light, the President refused to blink, and we as a People (for the most part) rallied to him.

So what the hell happened? Fast-forward 47 years, and those wonderful words have a drastically different flavor. The 2008 version: “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay up to a point, bear pain equal to or less than at least a three on a scale of one to ten, meet any hardship as long as we only experience it when we watch the nightly news, support any friend as long as it is convenient, oppose any foe that cannot compromise our status on the world stage to assure the survival and the success of liberty – or at least the appearance of it. This much we pledge – for what that’s worth.”

While it cannot be dismissed that we had our fair share of weak knees back then, it cannot be ignored that we also had a strong and well-documented history of fighting the good fight for as long as necessary. We would take the fight to wherever we needed to be in defense of our allies and our national interests. So when the newly elected President said those words – even though majority opinion did not hold or maintain such resolve even then – the world took notice because they believed him. So did we. Even when the populace did not have the fortitude and stamina and clamored for appeasement or outright capitulation, those in power stayed the course.

But a funny thing happened while attempting to defend Southeast Asia from Communism. We lost, and we lost badly. Not only did we lose, but we abandoned an ally as part of political expediency. Our patently American resolve was tested, and we were found lacking and limited, having fallen prey to the power of the broadcast image and the sheer ineptitude of the war’s leadership. It was the Ford Motor Company of war efforts. (I can’t wait to see how their trucks and SUVs sell when gas hits $4.00 per gallon.)

And as much as we can reason and argue that we beat ourselves more than they defeated us, the enemy, then and now, only perceives their total victory over the Capitalist, Imperialist, Christian, bully superpower who occupied their lands. In that place, they outlasted us, they won the global propaganda war, and we left. So is it surprising when we see the same gameplan executed against our military men and women today?

Six-and-a-half years into our global war on terror, public support for our war efforts finds itself at an all-time low. At this stage, the refrains are mostly textbook and tired. They lament the cost of the war even as some take government bail-outs from “predatory” mortgages and happily claim their economic stimulus package checks. Some lament the sacrifice of military families even as their own sacrifice typically takes the form of eating out only twice a week, giving up TiVo, paying with the bonus-free Visa versus the cash-back Discover Card, and maybe being without electricity for four hours on a summer evening. Most lament the damage we are doing to our international relations even though we have been loathed by many nations for decades. Ironically, nowhere else on the planet can one hear so many speeches about lost freedom of speech. And the beat goes on.

As we watch it played out day-in, day-out on every news channel and website, I am forever grateful that the two parallels we have between 1961 and today are 1) a military willing to sacrifice everything for the mission and 2) leadership staying the course and doing what is right no matter the level of scrutiny, criticism, and vitriol. 

My thanks to the Bush Administration.