Tuesday, March 24, 2009

You Can't Have It Both Ways

2 comments:

Athos said...

This issue "on the fault line" on a if not the great moral dilemma of today - abortion - is one that reminds me of the great military leaders of the United States in the mid-to-late 20th century.

Both Eisenhower and MacArthur retired and promptly expressed moral rejection of nuclear weapons ... after they retired from the military.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Obama do the same. But in the meantime, he is too astute a politician not to get out in front of the largest body of voters as its "leader". The assumption is that he will retire and go on to lead a quiet, well-respected "happily ever after."

C. S. Lewis was too orthodox to believe any such hokum. "I Won" reminds to too much of Lewis's character Lord Feverstone in That Hideous Strength (the "hideous strength" being the primitive sacred of Girard).

As St Paul and Dante and Church Tradition knows, the sin is the punishment. Plans to retire and even repent without present changes is like the man planning to build "bigger barns" in Our Lord's parable. Good luck with that, Mr. President.

David Nybakke said...

Retire? My dear Athos, I don't think retirement is in O's dictionary. "I won" is clearly a man with aspirations to change the world forever.