April 30, 2006
TUESDAY'S CHILD:
Where's the dissent about source of quote? (MARK STEYN, 4/30/06, Chicago Sun-Times)
John Kerry announced this week's John Kerry Iraq Policy of the Week the other day: "Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15 to deal with these intransigent issues and at last put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military."With a sulky pout perhaps? With hands on hips and a full flip of the hair?
Did he get that from Churchill? "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, at least until May 15, when I have a windsurfing engagement off Nantucket."
Actually, no. He got it from Thomas Jefferson. "This is not the first time in American history when patriotism has been distorted to deflect criticism and mislead the nation," warned Sen. Kerry, placing his courage in the broader historical context. "No wonder Thomas Jefferson himself said: 'Dissent is the greatest form of patriotism.' "
Close enough. According to the Jefferson Library: "There are a number of quotes that we do not find in Thomas Jefferson's correspondence or other writings; in such cases, Jefferson should not be cited as the source. Among the most common of these spurious Jefferson quotes are: 'Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.' "
Such petulance would have seen us withdraw from Germany before Adenauer was in place. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 30, 2006 3:31 PM
Whoa -- May 15 is right around the corner, which means the liberal anti-war types Kerry is courting with a statement like this might actually remember the remark three weeks from now and actually expect the Senator to do something else if the Iraqis fail to meet his deadline. A risky stance for him to take (were anyone actually taking a Kerry '08 campaign seriously, that is).
Posted by: John at April 30, 2006 6:23 PM