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Charlie Norwood And The Natural Aristocracy

originally published June 28, 2006

Thomas Jefferson expected a “natural aristocracy” of the most accomplished, intelligent and distinguished citizens would arise in the new United States to lead its government and direct its future. In an 1813 letter to his friend John Adams, Jefferson wrote: “I agree with you that there is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents… The natural aristocracy I consider as the most precious gift of nature for the instruction, the trusts and government of society.”

Charlie Norwood is the Representative from Georgia’s 9th Congressional district. He is a Republican, a conservative, a Vietnam War veteran, a transplant and lung cancer survivor, a former dentist and a strong supporter of President Bush and most of his policies - especially the war against terrorism and the conflict in Iraq.

During the June 16 debate in Congress, Mr. Norwood spoke against a proposal that would have set a timetable for withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. (The motion was defeated.) Instead of arguing against the proposal, Mr. Norwood criticized those who supported it. Among the notable paragraphs in his speech:

“Many - not all - of the other side of the aisle lack the will to win.   The American public needs to know precisely who they are.  If there are any on this side of the aisle who hold the same view, this will allow them to be found out as well.  Then the public can decide the course of this war in November, by throwing the defeatists out of office. ” 

And, “This debate, under the rule, is as critical a fight as any [of] our troops could have on the battlefield.  No one has any doubt our soldiers will win any fight we send them to.  The world’s doubt is entirely over the backbone of this Congress. ”

These comments are remarkable for their illogicality and incoherence. They seem indifferent to an accumulating list of polls that show a large majority of Americans believe the war in Iraq is a mistake. They seem unaware of the sad reality of what is happening on the ground in Iraq. Mr. Norwood argues with the fervor of a desperate elected official and a desperate political party saddled with policies that have become increasingly difficult to defend. He argues that those who support the timetable are defeatists without backbones, enemies to their own country, and much more. The speech continues:

“Because of the statements of members of this body and the Senate that have given substantial propaganda assistance to the enemy, this rule, this debate, is absolutely essential to preserving the victories our troops have won with their blood and their lives…  Time to decide - Al Qaeda or America?  Let the voters take note.”

Simply put, Mr. Norwood’s argument goes something like this: if you vote for the timetable, you support Al Qaeda. If you vote against it, you’re for America. No room in-between. No waffling space. Either this or that, black or white.

The issue is hardly as clear as Mr. Norwood would have it. Though I think the United States entered the war against Iraq on misinformed if not fabricated pretenses, it would be extremely damaging if we precipitously withdrew our troops, or if we withdrew them according to a timetable that did not take into account changing political and military circumstances in the war. The United States' invasion of Iraq caused severe instability in that country and in the Middle East as a whole. We need to clean up our mess rather than running away to let it ferment and fester.

There is also a strong argument for the timetable, which would provide U.S. forces with a clear set of goals and objectives and hold our civilian and military leaders accountable. The United States entered the war ill prepared to deal with the situation it encountered in Iraq. There is continuing evidence among our troops of disorder and poor leadership - including the possible involvement of troops in the killing of unarmed Iraqi citizens - students, children, babies (!). The newly elected president and vice president of Iraq want a timetable.

I am no fan of Mr. Norwood. We stand on different sides of the political fence. But he has served some six terms in office and has been a dutiful representative to his constituents. His name has found its way onto a lot of legislation. He takes credit for an astounding list of accomplishments, according to his Congressional webpage. But in many public statements, he seems primarily interested in providing blind support to President Bush and the Republican Party. In the aforementioned speech, he goes so far as to suggest that even members of his own party who support the timetable should be defeated in the November elections. They too, according to his thinking, are defeatists and in league with Al Qaeda. If the votes follow the polls, at least as the polls currently stand, Congressman Norwood might well find himself out of office next November. Because he will have a strong Republican base in his district, this is unlikely. And, unfortunately, the Democrats have, so far at least, failed to offer a strong opposing candidate.

What bothers me most about Mr. Norwood is his low level of thinking. Unfortunately, it’s typical of how he approaches many issues. It is a level of thought increasingly familiar among our congressional and senatorial leaders. Most disturbing in Mr. Norwood’s speech is his final assertion that the choice is either “America or Al Qaeda,” that is, our beloved country or our hated enemy. There is in this kind of simpleminded and reductive logic a slow but steady progression towards totalitarianism and fascism - the notion that there can be only one right and proper opinion, only one right and proper way of thinking, that there is no room for debate or moderation or compromise or dissent. One can be either loyal or disloyal. If we follow this line of thinking to an ultimate conclusion, those who disagree with Mr. Norwood are traitors, and the usual punishment for traitors is, well, execution. Does Mr. Norwood want to proceed in this direction?

I love our country. I’d choose to live nowhere else. I choose it over any country in the world. But I hate what people like Charlie Norwood and George Bush and a complacent unthinking mass of voters have allowed to happen here.

Congressman Norwood, with his jingoistic jimmerjabbery of natural virtues and talents, does us little good. He’s part of the mess and part of our crisis in leadership. Before he calls anyone disloyal or unpatriotic or an enemy of the nation, he might well want to consider the reflection in his own mirror.

Barring an unforeseen court decision, new Congressional districts in Georgia will take effect in January 2007. Athens-Clarke County will become part of a heavily Republican 10th Congressional district. Our new Congressional Representative will be Charlie Norwood.

Congressman Norwood’s website: www.house.gov/norwood/index.shtml.

Congressman Norwood’s speech against the timetable: www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ga09_norwood/IraqDebate1.html.

Old Smiley http://oldsmiley.blogspot.com.

Old Smiley

http://oldsmiley.blogspot.com.