wither in the light

Speaking of D-Day, today is the 60th anniversary of that bloody day.

My thanks and respect to everyone who brought that war to an end. The sacrifices made there are immeasurable... it is my hope that the alliances forged then will survive the depredations of our current misguided administration. Hell, even the now-late Reagan knew the importance of the Atlantic Alliance, acknowledging the role of the British, Canadian, Polish, French, and American troops. (From the movies we get here in the states, you'd get the impression we were the only ones there, that we did it all... I know more than a few people who believe that the US succeeded where all others either failed or fled. Disinformation abounds.)

Quoth the gipper:

We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent. But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation.

Reagan scared the holy fucking hell out of me, and yet he sounds flat-out sane next to Bush. That 'spirit of reconciliation', that we need now more than ever, is anathema to the Bush camp, and our country's honor suffers for it. What happens when we need the help of our old allies (not an unthinkable situation given that we're pissing off like the entire muslim world) and we've burned too many of those bridges?