THE COST OF DEFEAT
"Debate over the new strategy for Iraq mostly has been between those who regard it as a 'last chance' for victory, and those who think the war already is irretrievably lost. About this, two observations:
The first is that we have a much lower threshold for what constitutes defeat than our grandparents did. In the summer of 1942, the Japanese were planning to invade Australia, and German tanks were parked at the Eiffel Tower. But few then said we should throw in the towel.
Our parents and grandparents realized the fascists we were fighting then were really nasty guys; that living in a world in which they were dominant would be intolerable. They realized our country had great strengths, and our enemies had weaknesses. If our strengths could be mobilized, and their weaknesses exploited, victory would be ours.
We did mobilize our strengths. Half our gross domestic product was devoted to the war effort.
Things sure are different now." -- JACK KELLY
The first is that we have a much lower threshold for what constitutes defeat than our grandparents did. In the summer of 1942, the Japanese were planning to invade Australia, and German tanks were parked at the Eiffel Tower. But few then said we should throw in the towel.
Our parents and grandparents realized the fascists we were fighting then were really nasty guys; that living in a world in which they were dominant would be intolerable. They realized our country had great strengths, and our enemies had weaknesses. If our strengths could be mobilized, and their weaknesses exploited, victory would be ours.
We did mobilize our strengths. Half our gross domestic product was devoted to the war effort.
Things sure are different now." -- JACK KELLY
posted by HeavyHanded at
8:25 PM
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