[fastpat]

Originally posted by fintstone
You are right. As the Senate stated in their resolution to go to war....there were/are very many reasons to go to Iraq...and even more to finish what we started. It is too bad that so many seek to use the difficulty of war for political opportunism...and too bad the rest of the world do not have the nerve to defend their way of life. The lesson is not lost on the fundamentalist Muslims who will view our failure as vindication of their evil methods.

"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." - Herman Goering, April 18, 1946.