Gratitude--Compare and Contrast Dutch and Mongolian

This has been a busy month for visitors to DC from abroad. We had the President of Mongolia, Nambaryn Enkhbayar stop by and later on Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee had a visit by a delegation of Dutch law makers from the Netherlands. These two visits afford an opportunity to compare and contrast examples of expressions of gratitude for this nation's expenditure of blood and treasure.

For instance, the President of Mongolia, Nambaryn Enkhbayar, said:

"Mongolia was committed to the Iraq mission, in part because the United States and other allies did not abandon Mongolia when it was struggling."

"When the situation for us was difficult in the 1980s and 1990s, we were not left behind," he said. "Of course, we all want success in Iraq, but we started there together and we have to finish there together."

Compare that response to the delegation from Netherlands who, first of all, arrived fortified with a complaint list that began with expressions of doubts about continuing their 1600 troop contribution serving with NATO in Afghanistan operations. They then suggested to Rep. Lantos, a Holocaust survivor, that the United States should shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Earlier, members of the delegation had been given a tour of the prison and despite finding the place being clean and the Orc's fat,if not happy, most of the delegation said they wanted the prison shut down anyway.

"We have to close Guantanamo because it symbolizes for me everything that is wrong with this war on terror," said Mariko Peters, a member of the Dutch Green Party.

Rep. Lantos, a Holocaust survivor, replied:

"Europe was not as outraged by Auschwitz as by Guantanamo Bay." "You have to help us, because if it was not for us you would now be a province of Nazi Germany".

Up to now Rep. Lantos has not appeared on my radar other than Democrat AKA surrendercrat. After this this exchange, I am impressed that the Democratic Party, for all its' mendacity, still harbors men of true grit and fewer words. Any man, in this age of "sensitivity", who can twist the Netherlands delegation panties with a well placed pithy reminder of debt due is the man to be respected.