It is a sort of sad relief to see people properly held accountable for the untenable and unacceptable situations at the nation’s Army and Veteran’s Hospitals. Robert Gates has brought at least some sense of decency to the Pentagon. Newsweek and others have recently profiled the changes that leadership can create. Gates’ changes are good for the military, and they are probably better for America.
Gates’ actions provide an example, at long last, of a conservative viewpoint not betrayed by its own hypocrisy. Don’t get me wrong—there is plenty to criticize in Gates. But the conservative sensibility in this country has been eroded for six straight years by the ruthless hypocrisy of Rumsfeld, Delay, Frist, Scalia, Cheney, and of course, Bush. By acting on the willingness to hold people accountable to their job performance, Gates is providing an important tonic. I don’t know how long it will last, nor how influential it will be. But for now, it is welcome.
The reason I welcome it is simple. The body politic in America cannot be healed unless the conservative modality of American principle recovers. Progressives may provide a check on the right-wing power that has overtaken the country, and they may even become dominant. That would be better than what we have now. But if we want a healthy, vibrant liberty, if we want to engage that legacy left to us by the framers and the Americans who strengthened it throughout the centuries, then we will need a healthy, legitimate, contributing conservatism. Robert Gates’ actions may strengthen the true conservatives, thereby enabling them to displace the right-wing extremists who have stolen their good name.
Anthony Signorelli is the author of Call to Liberty: Bridging the Divide Between Liberals and Conservatives.
