I occasionally debate with my friend Frank Gaffney about which is more dangerous—the Chinese Communist Party’s desire for world domination or America’s spectacular lack of prudence, discipline, and common sense. While I appreciate and concur with Frank’s concern about CCP machinations, I am even more concerned about American folly and venality. As the great Chinese philosopher of war, Sun Tzu observed:
To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.
If Sun Tzu were still around to study America’s current political and institutional leadership, he would express certainty of an eventual Chinese triumph without firing a single shot. The only thing he would likely express concern about is that—like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum in the grocery checkout line when his mama doesn’t buy him a Snickers bar—the Americans would likely embark on a pointless spree of destroying a ton of men and property instead of prudently recognizing they have been defeated.
Please join us in this episode of the HOT ZONE to hear our discussion about recent avatars of American folly.
The HOT ZONE: Enemies Within