by John Stevenson
During our lifetime, we have seen several presidents called upon by circumstances to rally Americans and others to a dangerous, even existential, challenge. Here are some examples of presidential leadership, including the iconic and historic rallying cries.
On December 8, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress: “With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. So help us God.”
Congress declared war that day.
In October 1962, John F. Kennedy announced a quarantine to stop the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba. In his address to the nation, Kennedy said “It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.” The Soviets retreated and war was averted.
In June 1987, rejecting the advice of the State Department, Ronald Reagan said at the Brandenburg Gate “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Just two years later, the Germans themselves tore down that wall which had stood for 28 years.
When Iraq swallowed up Kuwait in 1990, George H. W. Bush announced in an unscripted moment “This will not stand.” In January 1991, Congress authorized the use of force to free Kuwait.
In another unscripted moment, using a bullhorn atop a FDNY fire truck after the World Trade Center attacks, George W. Bush said “I can hear you…and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” And in an address to the nation shortly after, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” Congress authorized the use of force on September 14, 2001.
In our current conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS), President Obama has not made a case for pursuing this war---although he has at least ten times told us “I will not put American boots on the ground,” or some variation of that message. Not an inspiring rallying cry.
But after the November 13 ISIS attacks on Paris, Obama found his voice. Boldly, he declared “Next week I will be joining President Hollande and world leaders for the global climate conference. What a powerful rebuke to the terrorists it will be when the world stands as one…” For a climate conference? Now there’s a truly “powerful rebuke” to a group specializing in beheadings and the mass murder of innocents!
Thefederalist.com described the November 16 presidential press conference from Antalya, Turkey: “Obama’s tone during Monday’s press conference alternated between defensive and disinterested. [He] repeatedly insisted that his strategy was working and scoffed at demands to change his plan to confront and defeat ISIS.”
At that press conference, Obama offered his views regarding presidential leadership in times of crisis. “What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever other slogans they come up with…I’m too busy for that.”
