For arguments sake, I enjoy drawing historical analogies. Just found this one today. I’ll leave it to you to figure out who really knew what he was talking about.
Reminds me of another recent post. Our Senators are attempting to run this war from their armchairs without the tactical knowledge only available to our ground commanders. Senator Lugar, stick a sock in it and let General Pace do his job…
This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
Winston Churchill — 29 October 1941.
I rise today to offer observations on the continuing involvement of the United States in Iraq. In my judgment, our course in Iraq has lost contact with our vital national security interests in the Middle East and beyond.
Filed under: Foreign Policy, Global Threats, Iraq, Military, Politics, Republicans
Excellent contrast, and true! Here’s a quote from a 2006 speech to the “National Defense University.” Can you guess who made it?
“International crises are inevitable, and in most cases, U.S. national security interests will be threatened by sustained instability. The war on terrorism necessitates that we not leave nations crumbling and ungoverned. We have already seen how terrorists can exploit nations afflicted by lawlessness and desperate circumstances. They seek out such places to establish training camps, recruit new members, and tap into a global black market in weapons.”
Could it be Richard “Give-In” Lugar? You betcha!
Good catch! I bumped back over to Lugar’s own website to look for this quote! And damshonuff, there it was. I was really tempted to send him an email, capturing the contradictory quotes, but decided I’d probably only get a pre-canned response from some intern who was handling his email.
Thanks for bringing that one up!!