Gatherings of Presidents
As the presidential election season is now in full force, I thought I would share some of my favorite cards, of Presidents gathering, most at each other’s libraries, which is where I purchased them – one of my most favorite activities – visiting Presidential sites.
On July 19, 1990 Presidents Ronald Regan, Richard Nixon, George Bush and Gerald Ford gathered for the opening of President Nixon’s Library, in Yorba Linda, California. President Jimmy Carter was invited, but did not attend.
I have to say, the above picture has always been my favorite. I admire them each, for different reasons, but as Russia returns to the world stage with a deadly vengeance, it is good to reflect on the fact that there are certainly no other group of men, more responsible for the demise of the former Soviet Union, than these four Presidents – it was President Nixon who first signed an agreement to limit strategic nuclear arms, with the Soviet Union.
This was taken on April 17, 1997, at the Ford Museum. President George Bush, President Gerald Ford, and President Jimmy Carter, along with First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Bush, Betty Ford, and Rosalyn Carter. I love the inclusion of President Lyndon Johnson’s widow and of course the box ties!
President Ronald Regan’s Library was dedicated on November 4, 1991, in Simi Valley, California. President George Bush, President Ronald Regan, President Jimmy Carter, President Gerald Ford, and President Richard Nixon came together for this photograph; what I love about this picture is that President Regan has ceded the center spot to President Carter – and yes, I do realize they are in descending order of service.
The gathering of Presidents and First Ladies at George Bush Presidential Library, in College Station, Texas, on November 6, 1997, including Lady Bird and Nancy Regan, by this time, President Regan was no longer able to make such historic moments; standing beside Barbara Bush are President and Mrs. Bill Clinton.
In November, 2000, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton hosted a dinner to celebrate The White House’s 200 anniversary. President George Bush, President Bill Clinton, President Gerald Ford, and President Jimmy Carter, were all present, along with their wives and Lady Bird.
Okay, I hate all of the pants suits, on the First Ladies; but I love the pink socks, on President George Bush, and the fact that President George W. Bush is also sitting, beside his father, who is in a wheel chair, which he is not trying to hide. Gathered here are President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, President and Mrs. Bill Clinton, Mrs. Barbara Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, Mrs. Obama and President Obama, as well as father and son, Presidents’ Bush.
I would love to ease drop on these gatherings. Did you spot the bonus picture of a president?
Beth – Not that I’m advocating an iovisann or even the use of military force in Iran, but you asked a hypothetical that I think deserves an answer:What good could an exercise of American military force do the Iranian protesters?As we demonstrated on the first night of the iovisann of Iraq, the combined logistical command of the US military is extraordinarily efficient at knocking out the command and control centers of an opposing country.Right now, the balance of power favors the mullahs because they have the ability to move forces at will and can coordinate strategic attacks on the protesters. They have superior armaments, and the advantage of their military training.Again assuming the hypothetical, in even a single evening the US is fully capable of wiping out the vast majority of the mullah’s power base through the use of stealth aircraft, Predators and Tomahawk missiles. No iovisann. Just some surgical bombing at known military or government sites. Not only would it destroy a good deal of the mullah’s ability to attack protesters, it would also create utter chaos in the command structure of the mullah’s in power.An iovisann is a “last resort” of military options. There are a whole lot of other options available which could be precisely targeted and have far greater strategic value than an overland iovisann would risk.Just something to think about.As far as other options that don’t include the military that are within the grasp of the US:1) Encourage countries with embassies in Iran to take in the wounded protesters so they don’t wind up getting arrested when they’re taken to the hospital.2) Publicly announce that the US will not negotiate with the current government of Iran even if it succeeds in putting down the protesters. There is widespread agreement that, given what has transpired in Iran – even if you completely put aside their past history of abrogating treaties and terror-sponsorship – no negotiations are possible with this regime that could produce any results that they could be trusted to live up to anyway. Engaging in sham negotiations for the sake of being able to say that you’re negotiating are worse than not talking at all. So it would cost us nothing to say so upfront while sending a strong signal to protestors.3) Requesting that a meeting of the UN Security Council be held to discuss real sanctions against the current regime if they don’t immediately cease hostilities against their own people. This includes blocking gasoline shipments: Iran has plenty of oil, but no capacity to refine it into gasoline. The protesters are effectively pinned down without the ability to travel by the government anyway. The ones who would be most hurt by this would be the mullahs who would no longer be able to transport Hezbollah and Hamas thugs from place to place.All 3 of these items could be initiated tomorrow if Obama were serious about supporting the protestors. It would cost this country nothing, and yet say everything to the protestors (and the regime).I came up with these 3 off the top of my head as I was composing this post. Surely all the foreign policy “experts” that Obama has at his disposal could come up with similar ideas and a much longer list over the week that this has been going on. Don’t you think?