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The Hollywood Classic That Shows What a Real American President Would Do to Stop the Horror in Afghanistan

Posted on Saturday, August 28, 2021
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by AMAC Newsline
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45 Comments
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“You know as well as I do that we can’t have Arab desperados running around kidnapping American citizens! If I had my way, I’d go in there with a couple of Winchesters, and a battalion of Marines… Threatening the lives and property of American Citizens!? It’s an insult in the eyes of the world community, you realize that! An Arabian thief, holding me up like a common desperado!? What do I want? I want respect! Respect for human life and American property. And I’ll send the Atlantic Squadron to Morocco to get RESPECT.”

“That’s illegal!”

“Oh, why spoil the beauty of a thing with legality? The fleet sails tomorrow. America wants Pedicaris alive, or Raisuli dead!”

Readers might be forgiven if they thought for a brief moment that the above lines sounded vaguely like something out of the mouth of President Donald J. Trump. In fact, that guess wouldn’t be far off. The lines are those of President Theodore Roosevelt, spoken to his exasperated Secretary of State John Hay, in the classic 1975 film The Wind and the Lion. It’s a movie that Joe Biden would have been well-advised to watch before announcing his disgraceful abandonment of thousands of Americans in Afghanistan. The film might have reminded him that the events now playing out in Kabul are not just an international humiliation, they are also a fundamental violation of two of the most deeply rooted aspects of American identity: you don’t mess with American citizens—and we never leave Americans behind.

Starring Sean Connery and Candice Bergen, The Wind and the Lion is a dramatized telling of a real historical event that holds important lessons for Biden in the current catastrophe. The 1904 Perdicaris Incident featured an American citizen in Morocco taken captive by the “Taliban” of his day, a horseback-riding, sword-wielding brigand known as Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli, widely regarded as “the last of the Barbary Pirates.” Raisuli and his band of thieves stormed into Tangier and captured the real-life Ion Perdicaris and held him as a hostage, making an array of monetary and territorial demands.

When informed of the kidnapping, Roosevelt was furious, and he did not hesitate to act. He sent a detachment of Marines as well as a significant Naval fleet to do whatever it took to free Perdicaris. His aides criticized him and urged him not to risk starting a war in Morocco with other European powers. Yet across the United States, Perdicaris became a household name, and Roosevelt made the hostage’s safe release a cornerstone of his 1904 presidential campaign, running on the slogan (coined by Hay) “Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead.”

The German and Italian forces present in Morocco opposed the American military rescue efforts. But as the negotiations dragged on and it became clear that Perdicaris’s life was in grave jeopardy, Roosevelt’s Marines took the initiative. It’s a rather convoluted story—but in the end, Roosevelt’s bold use of American power ensured that Perdicaris was safely returned home.

Contrast Teddy Roosevelt’s response to the kidnapping of one American citizen with Joe Biden’s passive attitude toward the thousands of Americans trapped behind Taliban lines. You will begin to appreciate what underlies the horror and rage the American public has felt in watching Joe Biden bungle this withdrawal.

Biden isn’t just mismanaging a crisis. His actions are an insult to Americans’ very sense of who we are as a nation.

There is a reason that the fictionalized words of our 26th president in a 1975 movie sound strangely reminiscent of something our 45th president might have said on Twitter. It’s because that’s how Americans expect our presidents to respond when American lives are at risk. Our leaders are supposed to do whatever it takes to bring our citizens safely home—even if that means sending the Atlantic fleet to Morocco as a show of force over the kidnapping of a single American hostage.

Throughout his presidency, Trump made his commitment to rescuing American hostages a point of personal pride—and a concrete example of the core principle, articulated in his inaugural address, that “a nation exists to serve its citizens” (a principle Biden seems to have all but forgotten). Trump’s administration secured the release of literally dozens of Americans held captive abroad over the course of his four years. On October 14 of last year, for example, Trump secured the release of two Americans held hostage in Yemen. Two weeks later, Trump ordered American special forces into action in Nigeria to rescue another American citizen who had been kidnapped. Some of the many hostages Trump brought home featured prominently at the Republican National Convention in 2020, just as the Perdicaris Affair was a focus of Roosevelt’s nominating convention in 1904.

This week’s brazen terror attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, including the heart wrenching loss of at least 13 American servicemembers, underscores that under Biden, America’s enemies evidently have no fear of America’s president. The Taliban are evidently unconcerned that Biden will take aggressive action as they effectively hold thousands of our citizens hostage to their demands. Just days after evacuations began, there is evidence the Taliban have given American weapons to Iranabused members of the press, and murdered women and children. These atrocities will likely get worse. Now the Taliban are giving ultimatums to the United States, threatening that if we are not completely gone by August 31, it will be a “red line” for which “there would be consequences.”

Imagine them saying such a thing to Teddy Roosevelt, or for that matter, Donald Trump. You can’t. They wouldn’t have dared.

Biden’s refusal to make clear that he will move heaven and earth to protect the lives of Americans abroad will have consequences far beyond Afghanistan. He hasn’t just abandoned those left behind in Kabul. He has abandoned more than a century of tradition that taught bad guys all over the world that the title “American Citizen” demands respect—and that if they seek to hurt one of our countrymen, the most powerful nation on earth will come to track them down.

The American people know instinctively what Biden has done—and they will never forgive him for it.

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Jeannie Huppert
Jeannie Huppert
2 years ago
  1. I “heard”: biden made a deal w/taliban or iran: we’ll help you get U.S. presidency, you help us get Afghanistan. 2. “Maude” used to say: “God’ll Get you for that!”
Ron Howard
Ron Howard
2 years ago

I was encouraged to watch the movie “Wind and the Lion” and paid Prime $3.99 to view it. What a disappointment! While I saw what AMAC’s point to Biden, on how a president should respond to Taliban on getting Americans out of Afghanistan, like Teddy Roosevelt did to rescue a woman and her children from an Islamic terrorist kidnapper, I hated how the movie made the head lopping killer kidnapper look like a hero, and also showed the strange phenomenon that so many women fall for their kidnapper, and often marry a rapist or murderer in prison, which is something that has always baffled me.

Hal
Hal
2 years ago

Biden will do whatever his string-pullers want him to do! We don’t have a President … we have a unAmerican DemocRat political hack who got the DemocRat nomination to run for POTUS because he could be “handled” to maximize the fortunes of his handlers in the DP and his family of crooks. Of course the news media was complicit in the election process to help cover up Joe Hidin’ Bidens huge list of negatives. Biden is mentally incompetent and is obviously suffering from the ravages of very old aging … except he is kept in a self-delusion frame of mind by his handlers because they know they can squeeze wealth, influence, and money from “backers.” This situation is getting worse by the day in the way it is gnawing the principals behind democratic Constitutional governance and degrading to behind-closed-doors policies and actions not in the best interest of our Nation. Again, fix the voting process or our Nation will continue to slide in to Communism to the point that civil war will erupt.

james michalicek
james michalicek
2 years ago

This is Nancy and Chucky and the people that helped them. Biden’s brain is fried. He has no idea.

Hal
Hal
2 years ago

The DemocRats sidin’ with Joe Hidin’ Biden will widen future kidnapping attempts for ransom. If so, we can only hope that they concentrate on DemocRat politicos!!! I check daily so scoff at ads taking donations from citizens to engage in the kidnapping coercion against specific people. Joe Biden is and will never be MY POTUS … I hope MY POTUS runs for a second term. In Biden case,….. POTUS >>> means Pinhead Of Total Unpatriotic Senility.

John Bonds
John Bonds
2 years ago

As much as I respect and admire Teddy Roosevelt, this is a horrible metaphor. Raisuni was a Muslim terrorist, his ransom demands were complied with, years later he kidnapped another westerner and again was successful in another ransom demand. The movie portrays him as a heroic figure and Roosevelt as a buffoon. AMAC editors need to be a little more diligent.

Mariarose
Mariarose
2 years ago

The only God that Biden hears is how much money is he getting with no care for the cost incurred on others.

Karen
Karen
2 years ago

Teddy was a great president. Didn’t take any crap. Donald Trump was a great President, and wouldn’t take any crap either. By the looks of things, he will go down in history as the best since Ronny Reagan. Looking forward to his return. Let’s all help him do so.

Margaret
Margaret
2 years ago

This Administration is a nightmare come true!
We need a REAL leader, not this Joke seen around the world!!

Philip Hammersley
Philip Hammersley
2 years ago

TR would rip these goatherders a new one! When he sent our navy to Asia, he was told that Congress didn’t like it and would cut off funds. He said that he got the navy there and if Congress wanted it back to the States, they’d appropriate the money he wanted. Unlike BiteMe, but like Trump, TR had (shall we say) grit!

J. Farley
J. Farley
2 years ago

We have not had a real American President since Jan, 6th 2021, The ballot Box stuffers chose to lie and cheat and give use a two bit Socialist Brain dead weasel with a half wit COMMIE
Floozie Vice President who’s brain is the last working part of her body. America will wander in the wilderness for 40 years before the damage is all un-done !

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
2 years ago

Use as model aside Nov 1979 Iran hostage issue of What & What NOT to do

Judy
Judy
2 years ago

All the world is asking, ‘where is your God now?’ The God that grew you up into a dominating World Power? The God who gave you men and women who fought bravely and courageously against foreign enemies, for your citizens freedoms? The God that blessed your nation and made Him pleased for your reverence and faith in Him? The God who indeed made you the single most feared and respected nation in the world? Where is He, they ask? Where is your God now?

Tom
Tom
2 years ago

I’m so sorry for the families that lost family members. Our so called president should own to each of the families that the buck stops with him but he is not only a coward but incompetent. I’m tired of him blaming others, we have to get rid of his administration in the mid term and 2024.

Rae
Rae
2 years ago

There is no doubt in my mind that he intentionally gave them a list…and is intentionally going to abandon them…after everything Biden has done…this doesn’t surprise me…nor should it surprise anyone… look at the crime and the open borders…This is why he was chosen by his cronies…he has sold his soul…by selling out America.

Charles
Charles
2 years ago

For over 40 years he was a nasty blowhard and now he’s a senile feeble jackass. As tragic as it is for our country, on a personal level as they say Karma is a b..ch.

Connie
Connie
2 years ago

You just wonder if he is intentionally leaving Americans to be in a vulnerable position or he is really lost his mind. That is up for discussion.

Robert
Robert
2 years ago

I’m waiting for the headlines in days to come listing those American Citizens and allies names as being among the recently murdered by the Taliban and their despicable allies.
How did the Taliban and their allies find them? Joe told them where to look! If Biden has a brain, where he keeps it is a well kept secret! Even he does not know!
This idiot is well beyond stupid! To be stupid you need to have, at minimum, a somewhat functional brain!

Baskerville Bee
Baskerville Bee
2 years ago

The part of the movie where the marines double time through town is fabulous. The shores of Tripoli for sure.

DJ Patriot
DJ Patriot
2 years ago

The most cowardly and mentally challenged POTUS in history! A sure change to come 1st in the mid-term elections, then 2 years later!!

BILL T
BILL T
2 years ago

His lies are sickening and I am ashamed and heartbroken with the direction our once great country has gone in such a short period of time, every time I even look or see lying joe and his woke military leaders I can’t even imagine what China and Russia are doing with no regard for our country, it’s almost like he’s conspiring with our enemies with everything he does(hunter and the Biden’s made a fortune aligning themselves with some very questionable characters?) I do not trust our president at all!

Mike
Mike
2 years ago

We need to land 5000 Marines and numerous waves of bombers to destroy the weaponry that this president has left and while the Taliban is out in the open and not hiding in the mountains take as many of them out as you can save our citizens and legitimate refugees.

Kim
Kim
2 years ago

The Biden administration apparently submitted lists of the names of Afghans who helped the American effort and presented them to the Taliban. This was supposed to assist those Afghans in their departure from the country. But, instead, the Taliban now have in their hands many thousands of death warrants, which they no doubt will carry out to their grisly end.

President Trump would not have been so stupid. He and Roosevelt and other loyal Americans knew that leadership in the United States meant standing up for every one of us if our rights had been violated elsewhere in the world. But because of Biden’s weakness, the current situation will not end successfully. Mission Botched.

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