Beltway Happenings

September 11, 2006--Former Speaker Newt Gingrich delivered an extensive address on "Lessons from the First Five Years of War: Where Do We Go from Here?" at the American Enterprise Institute.  In a speech reminiscent of Winston Churchill's warnings about the dangers posed by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, Gingrich warned of a "mortal, direct and immediate" threat facing the United States.  The threat, Gingrich said, "is global in nature and involves increasing cooperation among an emerging anti-American coalition."  "This is an emerging third world war," Gingrich declared, however, he said there is "great confusion among our elites and in the news media, and therefore among the American people" which must be overcome.  Quoting President Abraham Lincoln from a speech in 1862, Gingrich said, "We must disenthrall ourselves and then we shall save our country."  He described a "utopian elite" in denial.  (In fact peace activists have set up a "Camp Democracy" on the Mall for much of September.)  "Those who understand how real the threat is are going to have to do a much more effective job of communicating the facts," Gingrich said.  "This is the most important debate America has had since President Truman began outlining the Cold War in 1947."  [AEI]

Links www.newt.org American Enterprise Institute

 

Copyright © 2006  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action