In a recent townhall, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld responded to a question about American resolve and whether it will last after the end of this administration by correctly asserting the need for historical perspective on the war on terror.

First, I think that we need to do a better job of teaching history in our schools, and to the extent that people have some knowledge of our Revolutionary War and the fact that there were just vicious divisions and arguments about what should be done; the Civil War, World War II. I lived through World War II. My father was on a carrier. And in parts of our country, they were just determined not to be engaged in that war?at all. And the vitriolic comments that were made about President Roosevelt, the — I mentioned the Cold War and what took place.

. . . [T]his is nothing new is my point. And if people understood that, if they’d studied history, if they appreciated the debates and the arguments, they’d have. . .greater confidence, it seems to me, in our country.

Like so many other issues, this comes back, atleast in part, to education. Not only is the lack of quality education a concern, but the anti-American sentiments so routinely injected into the curriculum are harming our country. It’s bad enough that most Americans don’t understand the gravity of the threat we face, but even some that do don’t have the historical perspective to comprehend the committment and sacrifice necessary to combat it. America can not afford to lose it’s resolve in this war. If we decide to just quit and head home, radical Islam is not going to let up. They’ll take the fight to our cities and our streets.

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