SO JOHN WAYNE IS REALLY DEAD ?!

I grew up idolizing John Wayne. He was the true American. Tough, no-nonsense, un-apologetic, proud to be an American and all that that stood for. I can remember one of the Duke’s later movies in which he was a detective traveling in England. He was invited to a traditional English club and offered “the fine Dover sole.” Unimpressed, big John sort of rolled his eyes and said, “I’ll have black coffee, three eggs over easy, a side of bacon and a short stack.” What a man! What an American!

I idolized John Wayne because he did the right things as a matter of course without checking to see whether it was popular. John would take on battalions of the enemy by himself if it was the right thing to do. John Wayne never seemed to care if people followed where he lead because he always knew he was going in the right direction. John Wayne was America – Bold, brash, straight talking, headstrong, imperfect but good-hearted, a staunch ally and willing to do whatever it took to get the job done - “and the bastards be damned!”

As I watch our smooth talking President tour the globe apologizing for all the “wrongs” that America has committed, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of regret that John Wayne’s America is truly dead. Today it’s more important for America to be popular than to be the standard bearer for the free world. Today, we ask our enemies for their forgiveness for our arrogance. Today, we tell the people of the world that America is just another country with a set of values no better and no worse than any other. Today, America distances its allies and embraces its enemies. Today, America has no business determining who should or shouldn’t have access to nuclear weapons. In short, America is now Sweden and John Wayne has now been replaced with David Letterman (anything for a laugh and not overly troubled with issues of principal).

I don’t know if the President is wrong in his humbled approach to the world – maybe a different, non-confrontational, tack will work better to make America more popular, but there is something very disheartening about the leader of our country touring the globe with a guilt complex affirming all the negative things that our detractors say about us. Leaders are always vilified – it’s in the job description. Whenever you’re the “stand-up guy” - you become an easy target and must endure all manner of insult and reproach. Running for cover is easier, safer and nobody shoots at you when you’re in the fox hole. But if America runs for cover, who will stand up against the forces of the world that would deny liberty and which have as their stated goal the ruination of the American way of life? If America leaves the field, who takes our place? Russia? China? France? – Who leads if we don’t?

Here’s the problem. Our President does not see America as the “Shining City On The Hill.” He sees America as an “evil empire” which exploits its power to the detriment of humanity. While there is no denying that elements of both views are accurate, the leader of our country should not hold the latter view over to the former. Moreover, our President doesn’t seem to believe that there are forces bent on the destruction of America and on the destruction of liberty. Rather, his view seems to be that if we just leave things alone, they’ll turn out all right by themselves. So, goes this reasoning, if America just fades into the woodwork people will like us and all will be right with the world. There is no explanation as to how the spread of radical Islam will be checked. There is no explanation as to how North Korea will be held in check. There is no explanation of how a nuclear Iran will be contained. There is no explanation as to how China and Russia will be prevented from intimidating their neighbors. In short, if America fails to provide the bulwark against the tide, the world will not “naturally gravitate” to freedom, it will be aggressively consumed by tyranny.