It’s Patton time in Minneapolis

It wasn’t Minnesota Nice, it was Minnesota Fail.

What we saw unfold before our eyes Friday night was proof of the adage that in war — and this is war — plans die when the first shot is fired.

In this case, the first shot was a gas canister fired by state police or national guard. It was fired after authorities announced the curfew, which was ignored by the mob.

The cops and guard then vanished, inviting widespread looting and arson.

I was lulled by the Friday afternoon news conference led by Gov. Tim Walz, the national guard commander and public safety leaders. Each seemed earnest and intelligent, but appearances were deceptive. They got smoked.

At midnight, the forces returned, and at a 2 a.m. news conference, the governor said there were far more protesters than was expected and there were suspicions of outside agitators — white supremacists, anarchists, even drug czars.

Here’s a flash: It doesn’t matter what motivates the rioters or what they called themselves. They need to be smashed.

You can argue this — and it will be — but I believe the earlier abandonment of the 3rd police precinct emboldened the rioters, whether they were Minnesotans, Mickey Mouse Club members, anarchists, drug czars, or white supremacists. They learned force works and that’s why crowds got larger.

The authorities had bad intelligence, believing crowds would be smaller. Here I agree with Ronald Reagan, who said weakness invites attack and strength is a deterrence. These ideas were earlier expressed by President John F. Kennedy.

Before the rioting, everyone — and I mean everyone, even supreme conservative superstar Rush Limbaugh and the national FOP — agreed that George Floyd’s death was at the very least unjustified and at the most homicide.

Had there been peaceful protests and marches — which were welcomed by authorities almost everywhere — it would have been what they call a teachable moment. It would have demonstrated how to channel grief and rage into positive actions that summon the righteous to your cause. But the rioters among the protesters — they are not one and the same — taught a different lesson.

Let me quote Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta: “So what I see happening on the streets of Atlanta is not Atlanta. This is not a protest, this is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., this is chaos. A protest has purpose. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn’t do this to our city.” Here’s a transcript of her full remarks, which I strongly recommend.

Yes, the cops could and should have been indicted earlier, but looting a Target does not change that. The riots drove people away and shifted the focus from George Floyd to the criminal activity.

The second part of the equation was the wholly inadequate reaction to the violence.

Here’s another adage: Underpromise and overdeliver.

Minnesota did the opposite on Friday.

“The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd. It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities,” said Gov. Walz as he announced on Saturday that he had activated 13,000 National Guardsmen to enforce the Saturday curfew.

The use of federal troops has been mentioned. That should not be necessary. 

To me, Democrats are always Mommies, filled with forgiveness, second chances, kisses on the forehead and excuses for all failure. 

Tonight it’s Daddy’s turn to stand up. 

Minneapolis needs a strong, confrontational Plan A, followed by a fallback Plan B, a “God forbid, what if” scenario. It must make demands to clear the streets, not requests to discuss it. That idea went up in smoke with the Dollar Mart, Wells Fargo branch and the Minnehaha Lake liquor store. Minneapolis needs Patton, not Plato.

Plan A has to mean fast, firm, early action, with police forces posting themselves before the curfew.

Walz and weak-kneed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who ordered the precinct  to be abandoned,  both said the mob outnumbered police. That is usually the case. The proper police response is to divide the crowd so smaller numbers can be dealt with, and suspects can be taken into custody. That’s what Atlanta did. 

Like the Fire Department knows about fighting fires, it’s imperative to get there fast, to smother the flames before they can suck oxygen and explode.

Minnesota cops need to take control early, and be on the offensive. 

Break them up, make them run, and then arrest them, whether they be anarchists or drug czars or garden variety criminals. 

I’ll be watching tonight with my fingers crossed.

P.S.: As I file this just before 6:30 p.m., cars have been torched in Philly, there is arson and vandalism — and no cops.