Sir Winston - one of the true visionaries of our time. He would roll in his grave if he knew how the pacifists and communists (in a different guise, of course) had once again claimed ascendancy and threatened Western Civilization with their misguided ideology.

What scares me most about the parallels is that although Britain discovered a backbone finally (in the very nick of time as it turned out) I have no confidence in this administration ever developing one.

Is that all you got out of the article Hermann? Reading comprehension skills, my man! Reading comprehension skills!

Jack - for someone implying a superior knowledge about the conditions and factors leading up to World War II, you are particularly obtuse when it comes to recognizing obvious parallels between then and now. Perhaps this is a result of the revisionist history current appeasers and pacifists profess, in which case you don't have the critical facts necessary for an informed comparison. Or it could be that you just drink the kool-aid and spout "prevailing wisdom" which of course neither prevails nor is wise. Either way, I suggest you engage in some serious scholarship before holding forth in the future.

I have had the great pleasure of reading Churchill's Second World War series recently. While reading the first volume "The Gathering Storm" I was struck by how relevant it was to our time. Sure, Chamberlain deserves his share of blame, but the roots of the awful culmination of the Munich agreement span the years between 1923 and 1936 in which the pacifists, the communists and the unions, cheered and rallied by the press, rotted the heart out of the British foreign policy. The same process can be seen now in the US and Europe, with the same feckless actors holding sway.

It is our curse to live in interesting times.

Yet again, another repeat?

Some superb points here as there always are in your articles Paul, but in line with what digby was saying below, you miss the point that we are in the early stages of another inter-cultural war - in fact, the argument could be made that it's just an extension of the the ones initiated by Tamerlane in the 13-1400's. There is no appeasement anymore,nor is there a return to pre-intifada conditions. There is now only conquest, whether it be now or within twenty years. It is unavoidable.

I propose using munitions of such a scale that aiming becomes unnecessary.

@Digby - he doesn't want to alienate the "right" people at the cocktail parties, now does he? He may not be invited back.

Seriously? Another repeat post?