An Overdue Memorial
THE SCRAPBOOK has long regretted the diffidence with which America's triumph in the Cold War was greeted. We never enjoyed a proper Victory over Communism day to match VE or VJ day. Monuments to the collapse of the Soviet empire and the triumph of the West have been few and far between.
Last week, though, we saw a partial rectification of this regrettable amnesia with the dedication in Washington, just a few blocks north of the Capitol, of a memorial to the victims of communism. The monument itself (at right) is what you might call a third-generation Statue of Liberty, being modeled on the model of the original that was erected by art students in Beijing in 1989, days before that brief flowering of democracy was crushed by the tanks of the Communist government.
President Bush was on hand and paid appropriate tribute to the two scholar-activists who were most responsible for the project, Amb. Lev Dobriansky and Lee Edwards. "The men and women who designed this memorial," said the president, "could have chosen an image of repression for this space, a replica of the wall that once divided Berlin, or the frozen barracks of the Gulag, or a killing field littered with skulls. Instead, they chose an image of hope--a woman holding a lamp of liberty. She reminds us of the victims of communism, and also of the power that overcame communism. Like our Statue of Liberty, she reminds us that the flame for freedom burns in every human heart, and that it is a light that cannot be extinguished by the brutality of terrorists or tyrants."
Rep. Tom Lantos, the Democratic congressman and Holocaust survivor, gave the keynote address, saying, "It was my privilege to fight against Nazism and it was my privilege to fight against communism. And it is now my privilege to fight against Islamist terrorism determined to take us back 13 centuries." He added: "Everyone who has tasted communism, from Albania to Estonia, knows that without the United States, this existential struggle would have been lost."
For our part, the canonical text on the victims of communism remains the foreword to Whittaker Chambers's Witness, in which he tells of a German diplomat's daughter describing why her father lost his allegiance to communism:
"He was immensely pro-Soviet," she said, "and then--you will laugh at me--but you must not laugh at my father--and then--one night--in Moscow--he heard screams. That's all. Simply one night he heard screams."
Chambers described those as "the five annihilating words: one night he heard screams" that had swept away "the myth of the 20th century."
We offer heartfelt thanks to the many people besides Edwards and Dobriansky who made possible this welcome addition to the capital of the free world, as some of us still call it.
The AP Just Got Blurrier
When President Bush named Ed Gillespie as his new White House counselor last week, the Associated Press began its story this way: "The line between lobbying the federal government and running it just got blurrier." Really? Gillespie won't be running anything. He's a presidential adviser. And does anyone think he'll be lobbying the president on behalf of his old clients? No.
Had the AP sought to describe Gillespie in possibly more relevant terms, it would have noted first that he's a former Republican national chairman and, prior to taking the White House post, chairman of the Virginia Republican party. That information came in the fifth paragraph, after several of Gillespie's former clients were mentioned.
But there was a better, if less pernicious, angle. The president came to the White House with a jaundiced view of the permanent Washington community, especially its battalions of lobbyists. And compared with earlier presidents, Bush has hired amazingly few lobbyists for his personal staff or his administration. But now, unpopular and under fire from a hostile Congress, Bush has turned for help to the community he once spurned.
That angle might have prompted the AP to contrast Bush with his predecessor, Bill Clinton, who hired a long list of lobbyists to influential positions. These included his Commerce secretary Ronald Brown, White House chief of staff John Podesta, National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, deputy assistant for legislative affairs Steve Richetti, and congressional liaison Howard Paster.
If Gillespie's appointment made the line between lobbying and advising the president blurrier, Clinton's picks for top jobs wiped it out entirely.
News Flash
Per Newsweek's latest cover, "In a wrenching role reversal, adult children are struggling to help their ailing parents." Life's iron laws continue to come as a shock to the magazine's Boomer editors. Can't wait for the upcoming features: "Incontinence: America's Secret Shame" and "How to Cheat Death: 10 New Ideas!"
Author! Author!
THE SCRAPBOOK could not allow our Summer Reading issue to go to press without a tip of the old straw boater to a pair of fascinating volumes--just arrived in bookstores--from two of our contributing editors, Tod Lindberg and David Gelernter.
The Political Teachings of Jesus by Tod Lindberg (HarperCollins, $25.95) is not just about what its title suggests but a lively, knowledgeable guide to what Jesus actually said about politics and--here's the interesting part--how his political (as opposed to his religious) principles have deeply influenced our views on public morality and social justice. Nearly everyone along the political spectrum claims the authority of Jesus; Tod Lindberg shows us who's wrong and what's right.
Americanism: The Fourth Great Western Religion by David Gelernter (Doubleday, $24.95) is just the kind of wise and provocative study that STANDARD readers will welcome. When we talk about "believing" in America and the American ideal, says David Gelernter, we're not just thinking of political science but a genuine religious creed that informs our notions of democracy, freedom, and equality. From the Pilgrims and their vision of a New Jerusalem, through the Founders, to Abraham Lincoln and modern prophets (Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson), Americanism traces the articles of faith that have made us who we are and inspired the world.
Help Wanted
THE WEEKLY STANDARD has a full-time position available for a staff assistant. This is a clerical position working with the editors. Duties will include answering phones and emails, updating our website, research, and record-keeping. Candidates should address a cover letter and résumé to hr@weeklystandard.com.