Secretary of State Colin Luther Powell firstly refused to believe the horror stories about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and subsequently refused to go to the UN with these weird accusations. Powell was under persistent pressure from the Pentagon and the White House to include doubtful intelligence in his report on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The first draft contained so much questionable material that Powell lost his temper. He threw several pages of this report up in the air and shouted: “I’m not reading this, this is bullshit!”
As Powell did not trust the Bush administration, they had to find someone else to give the ‘facts’ to him. Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld came up with the idea to pass it through Britain and Tony Blair – personal cover name: ‘Poodle’. Rumsfeld: “Yes, he ‘will tell’ that story, he wants to be important!” And Cheney added: “Sure, Bambi (political nickname for the inexperienced, saucer-eyed Blair) is from Scotland, they like us, and moreover, he will drag the UK into this as well.”
America is not only the dreamland of adventurers, actors or poor peasants from Sicily, but occasionally even a British Prime Minister would rush over the political one-way bridge across the pond and bow and scrape to be recognized as important in this powerful country. From Downing Street to the White House – from rags to riches. When Tony Blair talked about Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & Co., he used to say to friends: “I wish I were in their gang!”
Not only Tony is longing for Wonderland. The strings of the royal purse are getting looser and allow bigger spending when there is an occasion for HM the Queen to visit the horse farms in Kentucky.
Anyway, Anthony Charles ‘Lienton’ Blair...
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Summarizing the origination of the story, it might be exaggerated to say that the Swiss people owe their William Tell only to Schiller's efforts (and Goethe’s ideas), but it sure got a lot of tailwind from it.
You might think that something like the legend of William Tell is not so important after all and that my remarks are perhaps exaggerated. In this case, just try to imagine that George Washington and the American War of Independence would be pure fiction, based on a novel by Samuel Langhorn Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.
And certainly, you do not want George Washington, the American hero and freedom fighter, to be just a fiction and a simple crossbowman who is mainly famous for having shot an arrow through a watermelon on the head of his son, after he had refused to greet the hat of a ‘Lobster’ (redcoat soldier or officer of the British colonial army).
1776 is a must read for a student of the Revolutionary War. It offers insights into the personalities of George Washington, his subordinates, and how one man can truly change the history of the world. Without George Washington, the Continental Army would not, in all likelihood, have survived 1776 and the United States would have had a dramatically different history. I recommend this book for every serious history student.
September 11, 2001 marked a tragic day in the history of the United States; a terrorist attack had left the country shaken. It did not take long to determine those who were behind the attack and a call for retribution swept through the nation. Citizens in a wave of patriotism signed up for military service and the United States found resounding international support for their efforts in the war on terror. Little opposition was raised at the removal of the Taliban regime and there was much support for bringing Osama Bin Laden and the leaders of al-Qaeda to justice. Approval abroad diminished approximately a year and a half later when Afghanistan became a stepping stone to the administration’s larger ambition, the invasion of Iraq. The administration would invent several stories and in some cases remain silent of the truth where would prove positive for the Iraqi invasion. It seems they were willing to say anything to promote the largely unpopular and unnecessary war they were resolved on engaging in.
McCraw, David, and Stephen Gikow. “The End to a Unspoken Bargain? National Security and Leaks in a Post-Pentagon Papers World.” Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 48.2 (2013): 473-509. Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
...ct most of his military blunders came in the year 1776. But he always learned from his mistakes. McCullough also examines the mistakes the British made, that may have cost them the victory in the war. 1776 is truly eye opening. It takes a more human look at men like Washington and his generals, and is full of letters and stories written by actual soldiers from both the British and American armies. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the way McCullough manages to also show the way the British felt towards the Americans and their opinions and thoughts about the rebels. The book ended on a high note, with Washington's historic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. It was the turning point of the war for the future president and his army, and it provided the first great victory for the young American county. The rest, as they say, is history.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were two important men who affected our nations independence and the beginning years of our country. They helped form this nation into a free and sovereign country. Yet, they were different in many aspects they shared a few common features. Both Washington and Jefferson grew up in the southern state of Virginia and like most owned land to grow and harvest crops. In growing up they came from two different class levels of living. The Jefferson family was more famous and richer than Washington’s giving him a greater advantage and opportunity to succeed, especially in higher education. After Jefferson finished regular schooling he was able to attend the College of William and Mary were he studied law. He did so under the teaching of George Wthe who was considered perhaps the greatest teachers of law in Virginia at the time. Washington however was taught by his mom mainly in mathematics and received no higher education. Washington was still knowledgeable and began to put it to use in the army to become as a young British soldier. He interred the army at the young age of nineteen were he began to learn leadership and military strategy which would prove useful in the Revolutionary War to come. Jefferson on the other hand was involved in the laws, courts, and small politics. At the young age of twenty-five Jefferson was elected to the House of Burgesses in Virginia were he served for five years. Washington was known for his great motivational speeches that would rally troops together to prepare for war and lead on to victory. Jefferson was more of a writer not a speaker and by using his skill he wrote and brought forth fresh ideas of independence and freedom.
As a boy George Washington allegedly accidentally chopped down a cherry tree, which he confessed to his father’s delight. There is also the tale where his father planted some seeds in the garden which grew up to spell ‘GEORGE WASHINGTON’ so as to” demonstrate by analogy God’s design in the universe”(10). However these anecdotes are the pure invention of Parson Weems (10) as very little is known about Washington’s early childhood or his relationship with his father. These invented tales, no matter how ridiculous, are less offensive than the authors who brush over or omit Washington’s involvement in slavery. In the ‘moral autobiography’ of George Washington called Founding Father; Richard Brookhiser justifies Washington’s actions by stating “slavery was sanctioned by the Bible and by Aristotle”.
Despite the low expectations for the American colonies, they amazed the world as they rose to the occasion by taking advantage of their military assets, even those they did not know they had. For instance, George Washington proved to be a valuable asset for the American colonies. Washington was already held in high esteem prior to the Revolution for his few, but impactful, military accomplishments prior to the Revolution and for his praise-worthy character. (Schweikart and Allen 74) Because of his lack of experience commanding, he learned to excel in familiarizing himself with new tactics and responsibilities very quickly. (Mount Vernon) He used strategy to make up for what he lacked in supplies or force. In 1776, he valiantly crossed the Delaware river for a successful surprise attack on Trenton and days later successfully took Princeton, two undertakings which contributed significantly to the American victory along with Washington defeating Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1...
In late 1776, General George Washington desperately needed a victory. His Soldiers morale was slumping, and public attitude was deteriorating. Washington had set his sights on Trenton, but for him to assure some much needed success; he needed intelligence on the British’s camp at Trenton. He turned to a strong patriot, John Honeyman who agreed to embed himself as a spy for General Washington. Washington sent Honeyman forth from his home in Philadelphia to Griggs town, New Jersey which was 17 miles from Trenton. Honeyman settled in and posed as a butcher and a loyalist to the British King. Honeyman immediately made numerous contacts with the opposition and was soon regularly supplying beef to the Hessian troops stationed at Trenton, and consistently gaining their trust. The demand for beef was continues as the Christmas holidays approached, and Honeyman became familiar with the Hessian camp and the roads around the town. This is exactly what General Washington was looking for, an informant that new the inside of the opposition. General George Washington was a firm believer in intelligence and especially the hidden secret of the intelligence world and stated, “The necessity of procuring good Intelligence is apparent & need not be further urged--All that remains for me to add is, that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon Secrecy, Success depends in most enterprises of the kind, and for want of it, they are generally defeated, however well planned & promising a favorable issue.” George Washington
Washington was not going to accept reprehensible defeat, so he had decided on a counterattack where Charles Cornwallis was residing with his troops – in Germantown. Though the American army had lost at Brandywine, it soon after g...
Selesky, Harold. "George Washington." Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. Ed. Harold E. Selesky. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. Biography in Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
George Washington was our nation’s first president and a well respected leader, but what gave him this reputation? In David McCullough’s 1776, Washington’s leadership skills that brought the colonies to victory can be easily seen. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough recreates scenes of heroic battles as well as dramatic encounters between diplomats with outstanding details in his writing.
One of the most notorious names in history is Benedict Arnold, an American Revolutionary War leader, who is known for being the “traitor to his country.” Yet, without his courageous and heroic deeds in the fight against the British, the Americans may have not gained freedom. In Saratoga, New York, a monument is dedicated to Arnold’s contribution to the victory of the Battle of Saratoga; however, there is no name on the monument. Biographer James Kirby Martin once said, “The tragedy of Benedict Arnold is that his incredible acts … have been washed away and basically forgotten.” Although Benedict Arnold was once a respected and admirable leader of the Americans, he was branded as a selfish and unethical traitor after the Revolutionary War and his efforts towards the success of the Americans were often overlooked or forgotten.
...e gun, it seemed, the greater the owner‘s pride in it.” (McCullough 33) The Continental army certainly did not look like an army yet these people were brought together in this fight for freedom and prevailed even winning the support of Americans who had no hope the British would be defeated.” Merchant Erving had sided with the Loyalists primarily because he thought the rebellion would fail. But the success of Washington‘s army at Boston had changed his mind as it had for many” (McCullough 108). The reader must comprehend the power of this accomplishment for the rag-tag army. “Especially for those who had been with Washington and who knew what a close call it was at the beginning-how often circumstance, storms, contrary winds, the oddities or strengths of individual character had made the difference- the outcome seemed little short of a miracle.” (McCullough 294).
For years, America has always been perceived as one of the top world powers due to its ability of achieving so much technological, economical, and social progress within a mere couple decades. Despite their great accomplishments, America is actually regressing psychologically, preventing the country from reaching its true potential as an “opportunity rich” country. In Anthony Burgess’ Is America Falling Apart? , the author unveils the circumstances in which America’s restricting society and selfish ideology cause the nation to develop into the type of society it tried to avoid becoming when it separated from the British Empire.