"PRUSSIAN FIELD MARSHAL"

Jonathan Chait's The Big Con is full of interesting facts in addition to information about the lunatic supply-siders. I was struck by excerpts (page 180 in Chait) from David Frum's book, The Right Man, a biography of Pres. Fredo. Frum writes hagiographically and notes that Fredo "scorned the petty untruths of a politician." We all know that's an outrageous statement about a man who would be nothing without pettiness but more suprising was this observation about the White House staff when Fredo entered the room:

"the Bush staff rose to their feet with a snap that would have impressed a Prussian field marshal." (Frum, pp. 13-15)

For those of you unfamiliar with Prussian militarism, here's what Henri Bergson wrote in 1915:

The Prussian army had been organized, brought to perfection, tended with love by the Kings of Prussia, in order that it might serve their lust of conquest. To take possession of neighbours' territory was then the sole aim; territory was almost the whole of the national wealth. ... But from the time when Prussian militarism, now turned into German militarism, had become one with industrialism, it was the enemy's industry, his commerce, the sources of his wealth, his wealth itself, as well as his military power, which war must now make the end in view.