“An army of liberty and freedom”

Uber-blogger Andrew Sullivan quoted David Hackett Fischer today in a post on “alleged mistreatment of detainees” by U.S. forces in Iraq. Sullivan writes in response to two stories that came out today; one, about abuses at an Iraqi ministry, the other, a story on alleged abuses by U.S. Army soldiers that has resulted in a lawsuit by the ACLU and Human Rights Watch against Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld’s reaction to the story – “It seems quite far-fetched” – spurred Sullivan to reiterate his belief that Rumsfeld should resign.

Contrasting the attitude of the current administration with our honorable record in past wars, Sullivan quotes from Fischer’s prize-winning book Washington’s Crossing:

[Gen. George Washington] often reminded his men that they were an army of liberty and freedom, and that the rights of humanity for which they were fighting should extend even to their enemies. Washington and his officers were keenly aware that the war was a contest for popular opinion, but they did not think in terms of ‘images’ or ‘messages’ in the manner of a modern journalist or politician. Their thinking was more substantive. The esteem of others was important to them mainly because they believed that victory would come only if they deserved to win.”

LINK to post on Andrew Sullivan’s “Daily Dish” blog.