Reality - for a President

by Gary Bauer: The polls indicate that many Americans are tired of war and looking for a new president who will rely on "diplomacy." Sadly, no matter who gets elected in November, these Americans will likely be disappointed by a reality of today's world . . . .

It would be wonderful if we could wish away the danger we face. I would love to live in a time when there was no chance of a jihadist detonating a dirty nuclear bomb and taking out an American city, and where U.S. troops could come home and have normal lives. But that is not our world.

The next president may want to bring "change" (Obama's mantra) or may want the U.S. to withdraw from the world (Ron Paul's solution). Other candidates say they are running to revamp health care (Hillary) or tackle corporate greed (Edwards) or revamp the tax code (Huckabee).

But the reality is that they will begin each day in the White House with an overnight "threat assessment" of the dangers facing our country. Then, glibness, sound bites, pollsters and good looks won't matter. All that will matter is whether or not they have the fortitude, strength and foreign policy knowledge to keep Americans alive in an era when thugs are working feverishly on ways to kill us.

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Tags: Gary Bauer, presidency, threat assessment