Yesterday, President Bush spoke to sailors in California on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II. He tried to make the case that the war in Iraq is much like World War II. In doing so, he misread history. Let me count the ways.
“Once again, war came to our shores with a surprise attack that killed thousands in cold blood.” True, in 2001 and 1941 our shores were attacked without warning and many good people died and were injured. However, it was a sovereign nation that attacked us in 1941, not a bunch of madmen. Iraq did not attack us, we attacked Iraq. We entered WWII the very next day after an act of Congress. We did not wait more than eighteen months to attack Japan.
Roosevelt did not go to war to promote democracy. He went to war to defend democracy.
“And he (Roosevelt) called on Americans to defend that liberty” True, and he also called on all Americans not to go shopping (as did Bush) but to sacrifice at home as well as in war.
We did not ride roughshod over our Allies and act unilaterally. It was the Allies that were at war with the Axis, not a coalition of the willing.
There was a post-war plan.
Also, he has a problem with today’s reality when he says “We’re putting the terrorists on the run all across the world.” My reading says that Iraq is the biggest advertisement for terrorists that one could imagine. Despite our killing terrorists every day, their number does not diminish.
Isn’t there a saying to the effect that “patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels”?
3 comments:
I think you better stick with commeting on an issue you know something about--like the Ugandan condom controversy.
Why do you bother reading my stuff? You've been here more than 80 times in the past several months.
We may have met here on the Vineyard for that's where you live. It would be the American thing to stop hiding behind an anonymous identity.
I suspect that you have little better to do in what is apparently your little secret life.
You'll have to have more substantive comments for me to continue to respond to your unfocused comments.
An excellant and precise post, Al. I agree with every word. Bush is desperate to maintain a legitimacy in Iraq and has resorted to grasping non-existent straws.
I think 'anonymous' is feeling insecure.
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