Mr. President, Listen to the People, They Are Telling You the Diagnosis

Listen to the patient, he is telling you the diagnosis.

Sir William Osler (1849-1819)

Tonight, as I was listening to the President speak about why we must attack ISIS, I thought of Sir William Osler.

President Obama was listening to the people. In countless polls, they have been giving him their diagnosis of what is wrong and right about America.

He is listening because he has to. The people and ISIS give him no other choice.

The people are telling him: Mr. President, beheading two innocent American journalists is wrong.

The beheadings are the last straw.

Mr. President. Attack the bastards. Attack them in the air. Attack them on the ground. Attack them in Syria. Attack them wherever you can.

Do whatever it takes, however long it takes.

Destroy them. Dismantle them. Decimate them. Demolish them. Defeat them. Do away with with them.

They are evil.

Don’t worry about the consequences.

Now is the time to act, not contemplate.

Follow us, Mr. President. We know what to do. We are a can-do, will-do nation.

We are Americans, Mr. President. We lead from the front, not the back.

We are what’s right with the world, not what is wrong.

We are a proud people.

We believe in America.

Our forefathers came here because America is the land of opportunity, where every individual can become what he or she wants to be.

That is why we are a magnet for immigrants from everywhere. That is why we are their number one destination for people seeking freedom, independence, and self-determination. That is why the poor, the huddled masses, and the skilled flock here. That is why foreigners have founded 40% of the start-ups in Silicon Valley. That is why we have the largest economy in the world. That is why we are the most innovative nation on earth.

We are the hope, the beacon, and the example for the rest of mankind. We are a symbol of what is right.

We believe in equal opportunity, not equal results for all. We believe the Government is best that governs least, that responds to the consent of the government, that believes in the wisdom of the majority, that believes that people, not government, not policy experts. The bold and the confident, the optimistic and the brave, not the timid and the cautious, know when to act and when to act decisively. We believe in free enterprise and free expression, self-sufficiency, economic growth, and the freedom to become what one wants to be and in doing what needs to be done.


So get on with it, go for it, Mr. President. Buck up. Be upbeat. You are doing the right thing.

This is no time for dilly dallying, for circumspection, or navel gazing.

We know it, and now you know it.