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Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Every Generation...
So I was watching the History Channel, which Stef calls the Nazi Channel because, well, there's often shows about Nazi Germany on. Anyway, the show I was watching was "Hitler: Tyrant of Terror" (you see Stef's point), and a Hitler quotation flashed on the screen1:
Every generation must experience war once.
That struck me because I was pretty sure I'd heard something like that recently. In fact, the idea was mentioned in discussions about General Odom's opinion that we should get our troops out of Iraq. Here's what one commentator said about a week ago:
This thought of mine is, I think wars every 20 years are good so that every generation knows what the hell is at stake here.
Rush Limbaugh, everybody. He'll be here all week...
ntodd
1 - That's not the exact quote I saw on the screen, but I can't remember the precise wording, and I could only find one reference online to anything similar.
May 11, 2004 | Permalink
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Comments
Well, the difference between Hitler and Rush is that Hitler actually was in a war (WWI). The only war Rush fought was the Battle of the Barcalounger when he was collecting unemployment.
Posted by: Mustang Bobby | May 12, 2004 8:24:08 AM
I suppose that there have been hordes of people who have taken pleasure in war -- those that haven't gone to early graves during one. I always think of what the Civil War General Sherman is said to have said, as he inspected the scene right after an especially bloody battle. "It is well that war should be so terrible, else we would become too fond of it."
Posted by: Sofarsogoo | May 12, 2004 10:39:49 AM
MB - wow, Rush is *worse* than Hitler.
Sofar - it might sound funny coming from a Quaker, but one reason I can get behind Kerry is because he has seen war firsthand. Not only that, but he realized how evil our involvement in Vietnam was, and did what he could to get us out. I might not like him for myriad other reasons, and I happen to disagree with his "stay the course" stance on Iraq (though I understand the difficult position he's in), but I have to believe he wouldn't recklessly get us into a conflict like Bush has.
Posted by: NTodd | May 12, 2004 2:56:28 PM
The sad truth is that withdrawals are one of the most dangerous military maneuvers. Trying to drawdown your troops while maintaining sufficient strength to protect yourself is tricky, and given the general lack of competence displayed by this crew, I'm not sure that many officers want to try it without total control of conditions and massive amounts of available airpower.
That's why Kerry is concerned. It takes a lot of control to convince troops to walk backwards.
Posted by: Bryan | May 12, 2004 8:39:57 PM
Bryan - yeah, withdrawing is tricky. I think it's necessary, but Kerry's going to have a hard time of it no matter what. Unfortunately, it's always easier to get yourself into a bad situation than to get out.
Posted by: NTodd | May 13, 2004 7:26:38 AM
Buy me stuff off my 
