ON THIS DAY – AT 8:59 A.M. ET:  On September 2, 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan formally surrendered to the Allied powers, thus ending World War II. 

All of us have seen the famous footage of Douglas MacArthur ordering the Japanese emissaries to sign "at the places indicated."

How optimistic we were then.  Victory was complete.  The Depression was over, although we'd go into a recession right after the war as defense production was cut back.  But we had emerged as the superpower, victorious in war, and the only nation that could build and deliver an atomic bomb.  It is now 66 years later.  We are still a great superpower, but struggling.  Years of mismanagement, bloated government, crony capitalism, and the unrelenting haranguing by the political left have made us doubt ourselves and crippled our once-thriving economy.

We even fight our wars with one hand tied behind our back, and with a spirit, not of victory, but of apology.  The left has certainly done a number on this country.

We are in desperate need of new leadership.  We have a chance next year.  The question is whether we, on our side, are up to the fight.  And we must ask whether our institutions are up to that fight.  There was a time when we would say that we could take four years of a bad administration because the damage could be repaired.  I'm not so sure any longer.  A lazy, biased press, combined with an equally lazy, and equally biased, educational system represent a one-two punch that can make real progress impossible.

In 1945 we were a nation that produced things.  We built our ships, planes, tanks, and vehicles.  "Made in the USA" was stamped on almost every product.  Compare please to day.  "Made in China" is probably the phrase we see more often than any other every day. 

Japan and Germany, lying in rubble in 1945, are now modern, vigorous nations.  Some of our allies, like France and Britain, lag behind, Britain having sold off even some of its most famous names, like Rolls-Royce and Jaguar, to foreign buyers. 

In 1945 we had Harry Truman as president, and had just lost FDR.  Whether one likes some of their policies or not, they were both committed to victory, and unashamedly so.  Compare please to Barack Obama.

Victory in 1945 came after three years and nine months of struggle.  We entered World War II with a feeling of desperation, but we prevailed.  And today?  Are you confident?

September 2, 2011