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Thompson: America Must Not Lose Against "A Bunch Of Kids" With IED's
During a campaign stop yesterday in South Carolina, Fred Thompson gave a new reason why Americans have to stay committed in Iraq: "We will not be a safer country, we will not be a safer America if the whole world watches us being defeated by a bunch of kids with improvised explosive devices."
The statement is somewhat reminiscent of Lyndon Johnson, who privately demanded some sort of a solution to a war in a "damn little pissant country" — Vietnam.
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So, now you are trashing LBJ too?
October 25, 2007 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fear not. I hear victory is just around the corner.
October 25, 2007 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, Freddie, being unable to overcome guerrillas who don't have to defeat you, just prevent you from winning until they can outlast you is bad for a superpower's reputation. It's much better to have everyone else believe you're invincible militarily than to believe it yourself and start throwing around your military as if it's true. That's part of why invading Iraq was a really, really stupid idea.
October 25, 2007 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
How can we hope to understand and resolve this complex conflict when we simply write off our adversaries as simple hooligans?
Minimizing adversaries (and potential diplomatic parties) only ends up minimizing the damage they've done to American families--who've had to endure losses to these "kids".
October 25, 2007 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps Fred would like to go over to Iraq and spank these children with the IED's. Oh wait...that is not how the "chicken hawks" handle conflicts, now is it...
October 25, 2007 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess this means the GOP is interesting in fighting children over there as well as over here.
October 25, 2007 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please read this article before making comments about Mr. Thompson's remark.
http://www.veteransforamerica.org/files/vcs/pdf/26-2powers.pdf
This is a quote from the introduction to the article:
"The war in Iraq continues to have a detrimental affect on millions of Iraqi youth. Although
billions of dollars are being spent on the war, not enough attention has been paid to enabling
these youth to be part of Iraq’s reconstruction. Yet the vast majority of the country’s
population is under 25 years old. As a result, many youth are being recruited as paid-forhire
insurgents and adding to the perpetual mayhem and violence. This article will explore
the current struggle that Iraqi youth face and suggest ways to ameliorate their increasingly
desperate position and help them find a better future. It argues that the United States and
the international community should increase their support for efforts to engage Iraqi youth
in their country’s state-building efforts. This is crucial for increasing the stability in that
country and throughout the region."
October 27, 2007 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink