Echoes of the Master

Noting a parallel between Bush Administration rhetoric about the GWOT and German propaganda from the 1940’s is nothing new. Since Goebbels perfected modern political propaganda, perhaps it is inevitable that all recent instances echo, to some extent, the master. It is still disturbing, though, to actually do the exercise of blending Bush and Goebbels and to see how seemlessly the language of latter fits into a Bush speech, and how familiar the results still sound. Bush’s affinity for the language and imagery of German propagandists like Goebbels when he is selling the "war on terror" doesn’t make him another Hitler or 'just as bad as the Nazis,' but it should give us pause. All modern political propaganda may echo Goebbels, but we should be asking why, in Bush's language about his wars, the echo is so loud and so clear.

Here a contraction of a Bush 9/11 anniversary address to the nation, with additional content from two speeches by Joseph Goebbels [bold print]:

Good evening. Five years ago, this date – September the 11th – was seared into America’s memory. Nineteen men attacked us with a barbarity unequaled in our history. They murdered people of all colors, creeds and nationalities – and made war upon the entire free world. Since that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike any we have fought before. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe.

Since the horror of Nine-Eleven, we have learned a great deal about the enemy. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy – but not without purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam – a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. The enemy has committed every conceivable crime against humanity, culture and civilization. They are in fact so spiritually corrupt as to boast about it in public. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict, ... it is a battle for the world. A sinister conspiracy is attacking the foundations of human society. Whether humanity will be saved or whether it will collapse depends wholly on us. The enemy is using every possible base and cynical method to divert us from our mission, to tire us out, to weary our souls, to shake our hearts. We will not allow this to happen. America will stay in the fight. Everything comes to an end eventually, even war. We must be sure that its end is a happy one. We can best ensure that by remaining calm and steadfast.

Our nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start of the Cold War. We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes. America did not ask for this war; this is a defensive war. It was forced upon us by our enemies, who wish to destroy the possibility of life and growth for our nation. If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. The goal of our government and military leadership is [an Iraqi] nation that can live freely in all important areas. Our generation must secure this through battle and hard work. It cannot be postponed until later. Either we do it, or it will never be done. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century – and determine the destiny of millions across the world.

I am often asked why we are in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the Nine-Eleven attacks. It [is] unfair and destructive of the general welfare to spread rumors that force the government to speak about matters important or even decisive in the war. This can only help the enemy and harm our nation. [My administration] is doing the best it can. Often it cannot reveal the reasons for its actions without giving valuable information to the enemy. That means even those of good will often do not understand its actions. That is why it must have the confidence of the people, confidence it has earned by its courage, cleverness, farsightedness, as well as its past successes.

In the first days after the Nine-Eleven attacks, I promised to use every element of national power to fight the terrorists wherever we find them. One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom. The only thing we cannot afford to lose in this war is our freedom, the foundation of our life and our future. Everything else can be replaced, even if only through years of hard work. But a loss of our freedom would mean the loss of all our other material and cultural possessions, both for the nation as a whole and for each individual. This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. This is no war of governments or armies, it is a war of peoples. And we are fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom, and tolerance, and personal dignity.

Across the broader Middle East, the extremists are fighting to prevent such a future. The enemy wants to win as much as we do. Yet America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it – sometimes at the cost of thousands of good men in a single battle. We must suffer much to reach our goal, but the goal will be reached despite everything if only we hold true to all our virtues and are ready, if necessary to sacrifice everything in this war to guarantee the nation’s freedom and its future. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the war on terror, the men and women of our military are making great sacrifices to keep us safe. Some have suffered terrible injuries – and nearly 3,000 have given their lives. America cherishes their memory. We pray for their families. And we will never back down from the work they have begun. Everything is possible in this war, save that we capitulate and bow to the power of the enemy.

Throughout our history, America has seen liberty challenged – and every time, we have seen liberty triumph with sacrifice and determination. Nothing is too valuable to be sacrificed for freedom. All we possess we won as a free people. Without our freedom, it would have no purpose, meaning or endurance.

We will continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and legal authority they need to do their jobs. No one has the right to complain about limitations on his personal freedom caused by the war. What significance do these have in view of the fact that countless men, even woman and children, have died!

Our Nation has endured trials – and we face a difficult road ahead. We hardly want to deny that the enemy has caused us great difficulties, or that he will continue to do so in the future. That is how war is. But the enemy is not in the position to rip the tools of victory out of our hands. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country. So we must put aside our differences, and work together to meet the test that history has given us. This war brings countless dangers and risks, as does any war. Each must remember that every danger and risk can be overcome if a great nation like [America] with a capable and determined leadership uses all its strength and every resource to deal with it. We will defeat our enemies … we will protect our people ... and we will lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty

Dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. They are not the first to try – and their fate will be the same as those who tried before. An old trick of warfare is to split a people from its government, leaving it leaderless and therefore defenseless. This is the only trick with which the enemy could defeat us. The attacks were meant to bring us to our knees, and they did – but not in the way the terrorists intended. Americans united in prayer ... came to the aid of neighbors in need ... and resolved that our enemies would not have the last word. The spirit of our people is the source of America’s strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose – and faith in a loving God who made us to be free. We are God's instrument today, fulfilling a great historical mission. It cannot be postponed. We must do it, or humanity will collapse. We all know this. This is a struggle between light and dark, between truth and falsehood, between true humanity and inhuman barbarism. [America] carries the banner. All the oppressed and tortured peoples look to us in hope, because they expect from us alone a new order and the salvation of the world.
Thank-you, and may God save us all


(Amen.)

Bush content from his 9/11 speech:
Joseph Goebbels content from:
"30 Articles of War for the German People," Sept. 26, 1943:
And "The New Year," Jan 2, 1944