What If?

Today we stand on the verge of the tenth anniversary of 9-11. The ironies of that day alone can fill blog posts for many years to come. Then there are the conspiracy theories. That would be speculative fiction in my book. Michele Malkin has a piece on townhall.com titled "Will We Ever Learn?". That really goes along with what I have been thinking about writing and recommend it be read.
My idea, though similar, is even more of a historical approach.

I am reading the final installment of Edmund Morris' biographical trilogy of Theodore Roosevelt. This one, titled "Colonel Roosevelt", covers his life after the presidency. Pages 30-35 tell the story of a specific battlefield and events current to that period (late 1800's to 1910) in the Middle East region. At that time, the British held Egypt, Palestine, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, and North Africa as a protectorate. They called it a "condominium".

The debate as to the right or wrong of British imperialism and occupation of areas during this part of history is not for this day. That was the focus of the majority of the debate for that time. Today the debate centers around the extremism in that region, and it's impact on the rest of the world. More importantly, the actions taken to promote the extremists school of thought.

In our short-sighted historical viewpoint, we are told that Muslim extremism is a "recent" development, and that it is caused by our greedy lifestyle choices and excesses. But a longer look at history tells a different story. In 1910, those who wanted to push their views in the Middle East were acting and doing the same things they are doing now. While they didn't have planes to run into our buildings, sophisticated bombs, or chemical warfare then, they still used all the things at their disposal to create the same effect-terrorize people into doing what they wanted. Kill innocent people to make their point and destroy the symbols of the things they didn't like. In short, they were and are trying to force their world view unto everyone else. The people of today might have agreed with their desires for independence at that time. Most of us value ours. But that doesn't change the fact that the methods are horrendous and cannot be justified.

So what if Theodore Roosevelt were president on 9-11, or even today? He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Russo-Japanese conflict, but was not afraid to show or use muscle when needed. He fought at San Juan Hill as a soldier when he was needed, and as president he sent the Great White fleet around the world to Japan, letting the Far East (and therefore the rest of the world) know that we had the power and ingenuity to compete, he encouraged the uprising that created the country of Panama and gave the world the Panama Canal. His philosophy of "Walk softly, and carry a big stick" was definitely adhered to throughout his life. Always have the ability to back up what you say, but listen and tread carefully when dealing with people and nations. Just because you have it doesn't mean you should use it, but when you needed to do do so, use your assets.

If he had been president on 9-11, I doubt his response would have been much different. He would have used all our resources to go after Bin Laden, I am sure. I am less certain he would have become involved in Iraq at that time, but then if he had been around in 1991, Saddam would not have been around in 2001. But once the mission is complete, the action accomplished, he would have left. He used the same thing as a trustbuster in the domestic arena, but once the goal is achieved, it is time to move on to the next one.

Teddy Roosevelt was a man of passion and life. He was well-read, dedicated to what he believed in, and strong in so many ways that our presidents and leaders today are lacking. Yes, he could be too strong and bullish sometimes, but he always got his way by staying the course, using words backed by the strength of physical assets to accomplish the goal. This is what will get us back on the course we need to be on.