May 15, 2008
After listening to President Bush accuse Barack Obama of being an American version of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, I found myself embarrassed by our commander in chief’s comments before the Israeli Knesset. He said that that sitting down with the Iranian government to hold bilateral talks was the same as Nazi appeasement leading up to World War II.
I was born on Sept. 3, 1939, the day the United Kingdom and France declared war on Hitler and Germany. My wife suffered as a young girl throughout WWII in the Netherlands under the brutal jackboot of a Nazi regime. My grandfather was a British naval officer and my father-in-law a Dutch naval officer, who fought in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of war. So when one hears the careless and erroneous comments made by a historically challenged president, it leaves one shaken and angry.
As a historical correction, appeasement did not take place when Hitler invaded Poland. Notwithstanding the fact that the U.K. and France lacked the military might, they stood up to the Nazis and declared war on Sept. 3, 1939. The question of appeasement came up at Munich in 1938 when Hitler told Chamberlain that Germany was going to seize control of the Sudetenland in present day Czechoslovakia. That was the German speaking portion of that small country. Given the circumstances, the Allies were in no position to thwart Hitler’s intentions and capitulated to the Little Corporal’s demands. As a footnote, Hitler felt encouraged by positions taken by conservative members of the U.S. Congress, German lobbyists, isolationists led by Charles Lindbergh and groups here in America who admired the rise of Hitler and his National Socialist government. We tend to forget this lamentable period in American history, which kept Jewish refugees from American shores and allowed the German military to grow and flourish. In fact, if we hadn’t been attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Congress might never have declared war on Germany.
As far as negotiating with Iran’s "Axis of Evil” government, wouldn’t it be better to find ways to cooperate with them rather than continually finding ourselves in an ongoing game of Dulles brinksmanship? Remember that Mr. Bush’s ill-fated invasion of Iraq five years ago was the catalyst for creating the sad geopolitical scenario that exists today in the Middle East. Iran has become a stronger power in the region because of skyrocketing oil prices, its influence on Iraq’s Shia population, the presence of American troops in Mesopotamia and the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government. All of this happened because of our president’s propensity to rely on “gung ho” military power rather than diplomacy. One should never forget that President Ronald Reagan negotiated behind closed doors with the Ayatollah Khomeni, the Iranian despot, to secure the release of American hostages in 1981. No one died.
Given Mr. Bush’s track record over the past seven years, it would be prudent for him during the waning days of his administration to conduct himself in an intelligent and dignified manner that reflects well on the Office of the President of the United States of America. No more dumb accusations. Mark Twain, the wonderful humorist and American icon once penned, “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence and then success is sure.” Has Mr. Bush ever read Samuel Clemens' “Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn"?
Bill Tilney was mayor of El Paso from 1991-93