War and Peace

There is an old Roman saying: "If you want peace prepare for war."

One thing tyrants of the world respect is force, a strong military force.  They view tolerance and compassion as weaknesses to be exploited.  The aim of any person sitting in the Oval Office should be to keep an American military capability so strong that our enemies fear us and our friends respect us.  It is amazing how much more amenable to peaceful solutions our enemies are when they sit staring at the business end of a gun.  But, a strong military is of no consequence when the Commander-in-Chief dithers, can't make a decision, and leads from behind.  National leadership is not without political risks.  So, when our president sees and focuses on every decision through a political prism our adversaries see that as a go signal.  The longer he dithers the more the bad guys exploit.