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Liberals and the criticism of wars: Same old, same old...
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Recycled Criticism of the Occupation
Commentary by Michael P. Tremoglie
July 12, 2004



Former British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan once said that “Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately, none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound.”



Never has this been more apparent then it is with the perpetual criticism of President Bush by his political enemies – including the very partisan mainstream media. Their allegations have bordered on the maniacal.



Yet, they are nothing new. Indeed, they are quite unoriginal having been recycled from earlier eras. The criticisms of our government and our military forces by the Democrat/liberal/communist coalition are very similar to the criticisms of FDR and the military during World War II. So are the criticisms of the post-war.



The criticisms of the occupations of Germany, Japan, and Iraq are analogous in many aspects. The model that the Bush administration used for Iraq (despite the Liberal/Communist/Democrat (LCD) coalition criticism of no post-war plan) was that of Japan. However, this was a flawed one. Japan still maintained Hirohito while Iraq’s Hussein was eliminated.



Despite Hirohito’s status there were still protests by Japanese who criticized the collaborationists. A protest march of more than 100,000 was permitted by MacArthur. This same thing occurred in Iraq. Yet the American media acted as if this were a massive revolt by Iraqis and proof of the flaws of the Bush administration.



There were many American casualties in post-war Germany. Some were due to the actions of the Nazi guerilla units known as Werewolves. Some were the usual amount of casualties incurred by military units during normal operations. Casualties from accident and crime is one very important aspect of the casualty figures from Iraq that is omitted by the media in their zeal to portray this war as a horror is the casualties not related to the war.



Criminal behavior, including vandalism, theft, and rape, occurred at epidemic levels in Germany. Despite former Vice President Gore’s contention that the criminal behavior of some Americans in Iraq is directly the result of George Bush’s policies – criminality by military forces is not unusual. In fact, I have written about the increases in crime in post-war societies for an academic journal.



Just as the conduct of American troops in Iraq is comparable to their counterparts in World War II Germany so is the conduct of the media. The modern media’s vitriolic condemnation is nothing new. In January 1946, the New York Times editorialized that the U.S. zone was far worse than the Soviet controlled zone and that "every newspaper dispatch coming from [Germany] is a further recital of what must be considered a failure."



The Times was not alone in its invective. Colliers in October 1946 wrote an article called, "Failure in Germany," and how this an article by Edward Morgan entitled, "Heels Among Heroes."



John Dos Passos, a communist, wrote in Life magazine in January 1946, "Americans Are Losing the Victory…. Never has American prestige in Europe been lower,” a phrase oft repeated by former Vice President Al Gore when speaking about Iraq.



Another similarity between Iraq and World War II is the disgruntled soldier. We are told about morale problems among those serving in Iraq because tours of duty were extended. However, this too is not unusual.



In World War II, many soldiers were understandably carping about demobilization before the war was over. Most personnel who were in Europe feared being transferred to finish the war in the Pacific. This is quite understandable. After surviving the war against Germany, very few would want to risk surviving the war against Japan.



In fact, it continued after the war. In January 1946, thousands of soldiers---including 20,000 in the Philippines alone--- participated in a series of demonstrations demanding immediate demobilization. More than 1,000 marched arm-in-arm from the Arc de Triomphe to the U.S. Embassy in Paris. When one GI told the crowd that the "generals are doing the best they can for us," he was booed down. Then as now many of these demonstrations were the work of communist agitators.



The communists were intentionally agitating to destroy morale and to exploit the general feeling of average Americans who wanted the soldiers to return. In the summer of 1945, polls indicated that a significant portion of Americans wanted to bring the “boys” home.



Americans do not like to go to war unless it is necessary. We are not a warlike people. President Bush reflected this attitude when – according to Bob Woodward – he said, “ I’m not anxious to go to war.” When we do go, we want to do what is necessary and return as quickly as possible to our pursuits. This return can never happen too quickly and never without criticism.



One has to wonder if this would be accomplished quicker if the critics were not vitriolic.


Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
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Re: Liberals and the criticism of wars: Same old, same old... [Cousin Elwood] [ In reply to ]
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"Americans do not like to go to war unless it is necessary. "

Like Viet Nam - the one we protested in our youth. Geeeeze CE, what happened to your sense of justice and idealism. You're turning into a grouch in your old age.
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Re: Liberals and the criticism of wars: Same old, same old... [Cousin Elwood] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Liberals and the criticism of wars: Same old, same old... [cerveloguy] [ In reply to ]
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"You're turning into a grouch in your old age."
- - Don't be silly, I've been a grouchy bastard almost since birth!!


"Geeeeze CE, what happened to your sense of justice and idealism."
- - I grew up. "
Any man who is not a socialist at age 20 has no heart. Any man who is still a socialist at age 40 has no head." Variations on this theme have been attributed to Disraeli, Shaw, Churchill, Woodrow Wilson, and Bertrand Russell. I believe they all sprang from a statement by Georges Clemenceau when told that his son was a communist:
"If he had not become a Communist at 22, I would have disowned him. If he is still a Communist at 30, I will do it then."


"Like Viet Nam - the one we protested in our youth."
- - One could argue whether Viet Nam was a just war, whether we had standing, and whether we would have accomplished anything by winning there. Fact is we buggered it at just about every turn. I protested Viet Nam, not because I opposed our mission there, but because we were doing such a horrible job of it. I wasn't averse to fighting for my country, but not with one hand tied behind my back.



Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...
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