Jeane Kirkpatrick 80, Reagan Democrat, Pro-American, Pro-Israel

A Marxist in her 20's, a Republican in her 40's, she was the first woman to serve as US Ambassador to the UN and one of a handful of courageous outspoken ambassadors who stood up for America and the free world against the forces of tyranny and evil that had come to dominate the United Nations. She was a strong voice against the Soviet backed dictatorships, against liberals who blamed American first and in fact she coined the phrase 'Blame America First' to describe that very mindset.

She was a strong voice for Israel's survival and she remained that long after she had left the UN writing numerous articles and columns, delivering speeches, speaking the truth and warning that a Palestinian state would be a disaster. "When we accept a terrorist state as legitimate, we strengthen terrorist groups," she said. And she was right.

Well into her late 70's she continued making trips around the world, attending conferences and trying to make her voice heard in a world bent on self-destruction. Her time at the UN had all too acutely shown her the real face behind diplomacy and her time there was ably chronicled in "The Kirkpatrick Mission: Diplomacy Without Apology" available on the right hand side.

Looking back now I will quote now from her speech to the Republican Convention in 1984. Like Ed Koch and Senator Zell Miller did in 2004, in 1984 Kirkpatrick broke ranks with her fellow Democrats to speak at the convention.


"That's the way Democratic presidents and presidential candidates used to talk about America. These were the men who developed NATO, who developed the Marshall Plan, who devised the Alliance for Progress. They were not afraid to be resolute nor ashamed to speak of America as a great nation. They didn't doubt that we must be strong enough to protect ourselves and to help others.

They didn't imagine that America should depend for its very survival on the promises of its adversaries. They happily assumed the responsibilities of freedom. I am not alone in noticing that the San Francisco Democrats took a very different approach.

Today, foreign policy is central to the security, to the freedom, to the prosperity, even to the survival of the United States. And our strength, for which we make many sacrifices, is essential to the independence and freedom of our allies and our friends.

The Carter administration's unilateral "restraint" in developing and deploying weapon systems was accompanied by an unprecedented Soviet buildup, military and political.

The Soviets, working on the margins and through the loopholes of SALT I, developed missiles of stunning speed and accuracy and targeted the cities of our friends in Europe. They produced weapons capable of wiping out our land-based missiles. And then, feeling strong, the Soviet leaders moved with boldness and skill to exploit their new advantages.

The American people were shocked by these events. We were greatly surprised to learn of our diminished economic and military strength. We were demoralized by the treatment of our hostages in Iran. And we were outraged by harsh attacks on the United States in the United Nations. As a result, we lost confidence in ourselves and in our government. Jimmy Carter looked for an explanation for all these problems and thought he found it in the American people. But the people knew better. It wasn't malaise we suffered from; it was Jimmy Carter - and Walter Mondale.

They said that saving Grenada from terror and totalitarianism was the wrong thing to do - they didn't blame Cuba or the communists for threatening American students and murdering Grenadians - they blamed the United States instead.

But then, somehow, they always blame America first.

When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the "blame America first crowd" didn't blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn't blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago.

But then, they always blame America first.

The American people know better.

The American people know that it's dangerous to blame ourselves for terrible problems that we did not cause. They understand just as the distinguished French writer, Jean Francois Revel, understands the dangers of endless self- criticism and self-denigration. He wrote: "Clearly, a civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself."