A Nation of Wimps and Warriors

Yesterday, the lone conservative Democrat left standing in the United States Senate - Georgia Senator Zell Miller - made a remarkable speech. He called former Clinton and Bush counterterrorism advisor Richard Clarke most to blame for the September 11 attacks because he was in the "catbird seat" for more than a decade.

Miller went on to say: "It's obvious to me that this country is rapidly dividing itself into two camps -- the wimps and the warriors. The ones who want to argue and assess and appease, and the ones who want to carry this fight to our enemies and kill them before they kill us."

The Senator's assessment has many parallels historically, the most famous 20th Century example of course being Chamberlain (wimp) vs. Churchill (warrior), another one being the writers Sartre (wimp) vs. Camus (warrior). The Washington Times this past Sunday had a review of Camus & Sartre: The Story of a Friendship and the Quarrel that Ended It. Similarly, one was a wimp for being a communist when it was in vogue - Sartre, and one was a warrior for being anti-communist when it was tough - Camus. Who's got the classic books being read by high school and college students because he got it right - Camus. Who's widely considered the man of the century - Churchill. And who won't be remembered mid-21st century at all - Richard Clarke. We must stand tall.