True Grit?

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Tony Blankley’s new book, American Grit, calls for a change. It is not the same change that is proposed by our new president, but it is change that he argues is necessary for the survival of our nation.

In a Conservative Bloggers Briefing on January 6, 2009, he told of the trouble that America faces: its strength and dominance is fading. His solution? “We need a new nationalism…that our policies, domestic and foreign, have to be focused consciously on what makes America stronger.” He continues, “We’re challenged in a way we’ve never been.”

He says that although he was once a libertarian, he is now willing for a more intrusive government if it will be to protect the nation: “September 11th got me starting to think about how do we maintain our freedoms in a libertarian sense, but in the face of the kind of dangers we face in the world. And I couldn’t fully rationalize it…. I started to think about what do we need to do to protect ourselves from this extraordinary danger…. I was prepared at that point to support more intrusive measures into civil liberties than I would have before then.” He then spoke of his shift from libertarianism to conservatism to nationalism. He points out that nationalism is no longer the same idea as it was in the 17th through 19th centuries. “As I’ve been thinking about the policy…I’m now thinking that there are things we have to do that are not purely consistent, all the time, with simply libertarian [and] conservative principles. And that drove to me to start thinking through, ‘What do we have to do in this country to make ourselves safe.’” He says, “We all are Americans first…. A nationalist is someone whose first thought is, ‘Actively, what are we doing to make America stronger and safer?’”

As an immigrant from Great Britain, Blankley understands the view that many non-Americans hold of the United States. He says, “Immigrants tend to be particularly conscious of the blessings of America, even coming from a free country like Britain…. America’s gift to humanity is our defense of individual freedom, and the kind of life you can live as a free soul.” He questions, “What would happen if America is not strong enough?” His response is that individual freedoms across the world would be jeopardized.

He argues that people have started to focus only on themselves and feel they have a right to whatever America can give them—“the whole ‘what can America give me.’” He calls for a shift to caring for the nation that cares for us. He agrees with John F. Kennedy when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” He argues that we need to focus on what we can give back to our country to keep it the way it is.

Blankley argues that the only way to get the needed troops is through a draft. “Our military is hopelessly too small to meet the demands it currently has asked to serve and will doubtlessly continue to be asked.” He says that the United States cannot do anything because its resources are already exhausted in the war it is currently fighting. He gives examples of Africa, Georgia, and Pakistan—all could use American attention, although all of America’s attention must stay focused on the war it is in the middle of. He uses the surge in Iraq as an example of the need for troops. It was an addition of only 20,000 to 30,000 troops, but it had incredible effects: “In the second half of 2007, after the surge reached its full force, violence in Iraq declined by 60 percent.” He goes on to say, “It’s a shame that our troops in Afghanistan have had to fight shorthanded for so many years because we can’t field enough soldiers to accomplish our goals.” His proposal asks for a draft of all men and women, aged 18 and 19. He says that the military would get first pick of which individuals they would like to serve them, and then the remaining draftees would have a national service commitment for two years. They could serve in a variety of positions, including border control and medical care. He argued that the WWII draft brought the nation together. He argued that a draft is the best thing to bind the American people together.

Blankley acknowledges that his plan takes away some liberties Americans hold dear. However, he advocates that we need to focus on what is best long-term for the country rather than what is immediately before us.

Heather Latham is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.