Politics & Power Quote by Bill Shuster

Patriotism is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, smoothing over history’s sharp edges with the soothing balm of the flag. Bill Shuster’s line is less a tribute to service members than a political seal of approval for Congress: by wrapping a present-day legislative act in a single, unbroken chain of sacrifice stretching from the Revolutionary War to the “Global War Against Terrorism,” he turns policy into piety.

The intent is clear: confer moral legitimacy on “Congress’ action today” by borrowing the unimpeachable credibility of veterans and deployed troops. The flag becomes a kind of sacred receipt, proof that the nation’s choices are already paid for in blood. That’s why “fought hard to preserve our red, white and blue” lands before any explanation of what Congress actually did. The symbol comes first; details would only invite disagreement.

The subtext is an old Washington maneuver: if you question the legislation, you risk sounding like you question the troops, the dead, or the nation’s origin story. “Most sacred symbols” doesn’t just elevate the flag; it lowers the temperature for debate by recasting dissent as disrespect. Even the historical framing is strategic. Pairing the Revolutionary War with the GWOT compresses radically different conflicts into one continuous narrative of defense, as if the same moral logic applies across centuries.

Contextually, the phrasing fits the post-9/11 political vernacular, when “support our troops” often doubled as a rhetorical shield for controversial decisions. Shuster isn’t selling a policy on its merits; he’s selling it on the premise that the flag is beyond politics, even as he uses it to do politics.