FOR RELEASE WEEK OF July 5, 2005

Contact\...Kyle Steward\...662-844-5437

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## [REPORT FROM CONGRESS]{.underline}

By Congressman Roger F. Wicker

 

[WICKER: LESSON OF GEORGE WASHINGTON APPROPRIATE TODAY]{.underline}

 

            I followed with interest the Discovery Channel\'s recent
series of programs chronicling the \"100 Greatest Americans.\"  While I
questioned some of the choices, I was pleased with the five finalists
announced last week.  Ronald Reagan finished first in the final vote of
viewers, followed by Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., George
Washington and Benjamin Franklin.  All five are outstanding figures in
American history, but my online vote went to George Washington - the
father of our country.

During these days when we celebrate our nation\'s independence, I
believe it is particularly appropriate and instructive to consider what
makes Washington such a giant figure in our history.

**THE OBVIOUS CHOICE**

            In his outstanding book, \"1776,\" preeminent historian
David McCullough writes in great detail about the challenges Washington
faced.   When he assumed command of the Continental Army in 1776, he was
only 43 years old.  As McCullough points out, \"Washington had been
retired from military life for 15 years\....He had never led an army in
battle, never before commanded anything larger than a regiment.\"  
Fully mindful of his limitations, Washington nevertheless stood head and
shoulders above the rest and was the obvious choice for command because
of his leadership, courage under fire, and the force of his personality.

            Washington also had to contend with a lack of popular
support.  He never had the backing of more than one-third of the
colonists.  Another third of the population were loyal to the King, and
the rest were indifferent.

**LONGEST WAR IN U.S. HISTORY**

            Despite the odds, Washington persevered through another six
and a half years of trials before he could claim victory.  By the time
the longest war in our nation\'s history ended with the Treaty of Paris
in 1873, fully one percent of our population had lost their lives in the
struggle. 

            McCullough states that the rag-tag Continental Army defeated
\"the best-trained, best- equipped, most formidable military force on
earth.\"  More important, the entirely new and unique concept of a
democratic republic was established through Washington\'s leadership.
When he assumed the presidency in 1789, Washington was the only
popularly-elected head of state on the planet.

**\'THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED\'**

            After the Revolutionary War ended, it was widely believed
that George Washington would become the nation\'s new king.   He not
only forcefully turned down that idea but went before the U. S. Congress
in Annapolis, Maryland, and resigned his commission as head of the
Continental Army. 

            By taking this action, Washington demonstrated that he did
not seek or desire power and also established the concept of civilian
rule over the military \-- a practice still very much in place in our
country today.  Upon hearing about this event, King George III of
England is reported to have said, \"If that is true, then George
Washington is the greatest man who ever lived.\"

            At a time when Americans are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan
and we are being asked by our President to stay the course and be
mindful of what is at stake, the enduring history lesson provided by
George Washington and the Continental Army is a good one to keep in
mind.