A New Generation

The intellectual sclerosis of the Vietnam generation is embodied in John Kerry's insatiable need to mention that war virtually every day and in his adherence to that period's worldview, historical lessons be damned. But the times they have 'a changed, as Jamie M. Fly argues in an excellent new piece. Gen X-ers, he says, formed their worldview in the aftermath of September 11, which is their Vietnam. They're not shy about using American power to protect our own liberties and free others from tyranny, and they see America as a force for good in the world. Just as the Boomers turned on their own parents -- after all, the old folks merely saved the West, built the world's most dynamic economy, and raised a generation of spoiled kids -- so are the Gen X-ers rejecting the narcissistic nihilism of those who bore them.

Many will recall the charge that old fogies and squares had "hang-ups" about what was new and cool. Now it seems that the hang-ups are with the oldies once again. Fly writes:

"John Kerry and an entire generation of Americans have been reluctant to use American power to make a difference. Those of us born after the Vietnam War don't view the world through the same lens as the generation of 1968. As the September 11 generation ages, this will change. This change cannot come too soon, for the terrorist challenge will not rest while our leaders overcome their historical hang-ups [emphasis added]."

The intricacies of particular policies can and will be debated, and Fly, a research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations, is in a position to do just that. But how striking that he represents young policy types who understand that it takes more than sanctimonious posturing to preserve liberty. This is cause for celebration and hope.